Daleks Rule London
by Elphaba Fiyerobert
Summary: Set with Peter Davidson as the Doctor and Turlough as his companion. Set just after Tegan left in Frontios. For Tegan on Earth it has been a number of years, shes married, her husband killed by the daleks taking over earth. Shes now resistance leader.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Ruined London, Earth 1989.

Tegan Jovanka had gathered a group of some of the last members of the human resistance group, above ground in one of the safer areas of bombed out, ruined London resting before the next raid started. A grass area near Grange Road, close enough to the Dalek base for a sneak attack.

This area was one of the few the patrols rarely visited. It was too over grown for anything but Spider Daleks, and most of them had been destroyed a few raids back.

Unluckily there were still dozens of the normal Dalek's around. Too many for Tegan's liking. Their forces seemed to grow stronger by the day. What was left of her group had little chance of defeating them now. Far too many people had died trying already. Tegan despaired, she didn't know how to lead the rebels any more. She'd been fighting too long.

So long that she couldn't see the fight ever ending and a normal life returning to the people of Earth, and herself.

Or at least what passes as a 'normal' life for Tegan.

Her life hadn't been 'normal' since that fateful day when on the way to her new job as an air hostess at Gatwick, her Aunt's car had broken down. Trying to call for a repair crew she'd wandered into what she'd thought was a Police Public phone booth and had turned out to be a time machine.

She'd been whisked off across the cosmos to a place called Logopolis and ended up in the middle of a plot to destroy the universe by the Master. She'd helped a strange and mysterious middle aged man called the Doctor to stop this attempt. Finally she'd left in the time machine with a strange and quite ill young man, which is what he'd turned into through something he called Regeneration. She didn't quite understand how he could change his entire appearance, but he'd told her that it had happened several times before.

She gave up becoming an air hostess to nurse him along with help from his other companions: Nyssa and Adric. Afterwards she'd travelled across most of the galaxies and time frames with her new friends. It had been fun while it lasted, until she'd reached this time frame of Earth's future. Not being able to stand the fighting anymore, she'd stayed in 1984, three years away from her own time.

Tegan was so bone tired she could hardly move. None of her group (herself included) had taken more than quick cat naps over the last few weeks. There just hadn't been time between raids. The Daleks were attacking more and more often. Several attacks each and every day. Man just wasn't designed to cope with such things. You couldn't fight for your life almost every minute of every day.

Tegan sighed, she hated the constant fighting and even more so the person she'd had to become simply to survive in this strange world so far away from her home.

As she lay on a small patch of tired, balding grass her mind started to wander. She began thinking about her old, mysterious friend, the Doctor.

Tegan still missed him and Turlough a lot. She'd left the TARDIS and their lifestyle because the adventuring had become too much for her to stand. The deaths, the fighting, the life risking situations with the last minute rescues, the never knowing if this was the last day she'd see, but mainly the deaths. No one should have to see the amount of death she had.

She laughed bittersweetly. "If I'd know this would be my future, would I have stayed with the Doctor?" she muttered out loud.

"Probably not." Tegan decided. She'd been in such a state at her time of leaving. With the concussion. The horrors she'd faced on the planet Frontios and all the people murdered by the Daleks.

All the people who had given their lives so she could get to safety and try to bring help. The Doctor had won in the end, he always did. Good over evil etc. etc. But for Tegan the price for that victory had been far too high.

She could still remember the Doctor's shocked and hurt face when she'd told him she wanted to stay behind on this Earth.

He seemed to have taken it personally. It was his fault what had happened to her or something like that.

Worst of all she still remembered the Doctor's heartfelt plea as she ran away: "No, Don't leave. Not like this. At least let me get you back to your own time!"

Tegan had heard more emotion in those simple words when she ever had in all the time they had been friends. It hadn't mattered though.

"I must. I'm sorry ...I'm sorry." she'd replied and disappeared around a corner in the old warehouse.

That memory still hurt. Time heals she'd once been told. It wasn't true. Time had never healed that open wound. She didn't expect that it ever could.

She started to think about some of the adventures they'd had together. Like on Frontios. The planet they weren't allowed to go for risk of changing the way the colony evolved. But the Doctor had never been one for sticking to rules. They just spoiled his fun!

Tegan smiled at her memories of the Doctor. He'd been a very close friend, become like a brother to her. They'd had some fun on their travels,but sooner or later something bad would happen. Tegan realised she still missed her two friends a great deal, even after all this time. She also missed all the little things that had annoyed her so much at the time:

The slight directional problems the TARDIS had which constantly escaped the Doctor's seemingly endless repairs.

The million and one uses he had for a cricket ball, only the last one of them for actually playing cricket!

And the thing that had annoyed her most of all. His terrible sense of humour. The worse the situation they were in got, the worse his jokes became. She'd learned to gauge their life span and danger from the jokes after a while.

"Oh Doctor, why don't you visit? You know where I am. Surely you can't still be upset over the fact I left. I'd love to see you again, if only for a moment." Tegan said.

A horrible thought appeared in Tegan's mind. What if the reason he hadn't visited her was because he had died. The Doctor didn't live a very healthy life style. Put his life at risk all the time. Maybe his luck had run out, and for once his daily last minute escape plans to avoid certain death hadn't worked out.

That would explain why he hadn't been drawn to the Daleks in Tegan's time. He was always drawn to danger. What would the universe be like without the Doctor meddling to keep the peace?

Not a very nice place she decided.

Tegan hoped that she was wrong. Without the Doctor there was no hope. She closed her eyes and pictured the Doctor in her mind. She sent her mind outwards, not really knowing what she was doing.

The Doctor had always been telepathic, maybe she could reach him with her thoughts. Her biological body chip made her telepathic in some ways. Maybe just enough for contact to be made.

Tegan didn't know what she was doing, how could she reach mentally another being that was millions and millions of galactic miles away, maybe not even in her plain of reality!

Something had to happen soon, she had no idea what to do. If she could reach the Doctor, he might be able to help her. How to contact him was another matter though, an almost impossible one!

Frustrated Tegan lay back and closed her eyes, trying not to think of anything except the Doctor. Any memory of him. His face, something they'd done or somewhere they'd gone.

Tegan looked around herself. She was standing by the central control column in the TARDIS's console room. Alarm bells were sounding loudly.

Turlough came through the main door from the TARDIS's inner chambers. "What is that noise?" he complained covering his ears.

The Doctor pulled himself out from under the console and answered "Psychic intruder warning." at the same time as she did.

Tegan sighed. No one had reacted to her voice or even noticed her. She had to be the intruder.

"Is the presence dangerous?" Turlough asked.

The Doctor shook his head as he sorted through a tray of tools. "The Cloister bell would warn us if there was any chance of danger to the TARDIS."

"Then, what is it?"

"Either a friendly entity or the TARDIS has got a crossed circuit somewhere." he answered.

The Doctor walked around the console flipping switches and pressing buttons. "This screen is flashing up that whoever it is has been bio-patterned into the TARDIS data banks." he muttered.

"What does that mean?" Turlough asked.

"That the intruder has travelled with me at some point".

"A friend then?"

"I'd assume so. It would be extremely narrow minded of me to input the bio-data of someone dangerous", he glanced up at Turlough, "Although there have been one or two exceptions".

Turlough blushed, remembering exactly how he'd began his travels. "How did the person get into the TARDIS in mid-flight?" he asked.

"Psychic projection of some kind. Although that would take immense mental power and technology stolen from the Time Lords or at least based upon it."

Tegan sat on the floor under the coat rack and sighed. "I have to make him hear me, but how?" she exclaimed.

"Who ever the 'ghost' is, there must be some reason why he or she is here. Something the person needs to tell you" Turlough commented.

"That is more than likely Turlough, but as I can't see the person or think of a way to communicate, until I can come up with a solution to that little problem we just won't know." the Doctor exclaimed frustrated.

"Could I move something to show them where I am?" Tegan wondered out loud, "After all, for all intense and purposes I am a ghost here."

"There must be a way that the TARDIS can locate the intruder." Turlough asked walking around the console and standing by the coat rack.

The Doctor pressed more buttons, "The TARDIS thinks she can locate the entity." he answered.

"I've programmed in a set of instructions which should aid location, hopefully." the Doctor said.

Tegan crossed her fingers, hoping it would work.

The TARDIS console started spitting out a long chain of paper. The Doctor ripped it off and scanned the results. "The person is female, around 30 years old and human." he said.

"Location?" Turlough asked .

"According to this, she is sitting under the coat rack about two steps away from you." he answered.

Turlough instinctively stepped backwards and looked nervously.

The Doctor concentrated at the place silently willing that some connection would be made,,but nothing happened. He shook his head annoyed. Tegan feeling exasperated, kicked out at the coat rack. Knocking it half way across the room. "I think we can safely say that someone was sitting there!" the Doctor said, calmly picking up the rack.

She reached out and touched his arm, hoping that he might feel her presence. It worked, the Doctor shuddered at her touch. "I can feel her. She wants to communicate, but doesn't know how."

Tegan grabbed his arm firmly. "If you can feel me like this, maybe you can hear me." she said, "The TARDIS can sense me. Link with her!"

The Doctor pulled away, "Who ever it is she is getting very annoyed!"

"Sounds like Tegan then. She always had a quick temper." Turlough commented.

"Turlough, how could Tegan, on Earth in the late 1900's have the ability to communicate and enter a TARDIS in mid flight on the other side of the universe to her?

"If the TARDIS can see the person, why can't it show you?" Turlough asked.

"Turlough, you are amazing!" he exclaimed.

The Doctor placed his hand in the special slot, closed his eyes and waited for the connection with his ship to be made.

He opened his eyes to see Tegan standing in the console room. The two of them were alone now, Turlough not being able to use the link had remained in the real console room of the real TARDIS. This was some kind of psychic resonance that only the ghost could exist in.

Tegan sat down on the floor, with her back towards him, and crossed her legs. "Okay, ghost stuff?" she muttered, "Moving things, did that. Giving cold shivers through touch, did that. Tried talking and it didn't work. What would a ghost do if they couldn't communicate?"

She couldn't think of anything else, "I've failed." she muttered holding her head in her hands. Muffled sobs followed.

"Failed with what, Tegan?" the Doctor asked softly.

Tegan jumped up holding a small knife, when she saw who was there she lowered her blade. "Took you long enough to think of this!" she complained.

"You haven't changed at all." he said wistfully, "Even the same clothes, you must have died soon after I left."

Tegan looked down at herself and discovered she was wearing the same leather short skirt and white with red slashes shirt, she had on the day they'd parted.

Using her knife blade as a makeshift mirror (the only part of her new self that had survived the transfer), she saw that her hair had shortened and gone back to the old style she'd had then too. The years of worry lines had been erased from her face along with the scars of countless raids.

"What happened?" Tegan asked looking up at him, "I don't look anything like this any more. My hair's longer and my face ... I don't even think that I own these clothes anymore!"

"The TARDIS must be showing me what it remembers of you, on that final day." he answered.

"It least its letting you see me. I thought I wasn't going to get through to you." Tegan said.

"How did you die?" the Doctor asked sadly.

"I haven't, I'm still alive and fairly healthy. Still living on Earth, in whats left of London. Right where you left me." she said.

"Tegan, you have to accept your death if you are to move on." he insisted.

"I am not dead!" she explained stretching out each word from sheer annoyance,, "I'm still on Earth. I contacted you through some telepathic equipment designed by my late husband. The whole human race is in great danger, we need your help!"

"What kind of danger?" he asked intrigued.

"Great Dalek wars, they've been going on forever it seems. I've done all I can, but we have no chance. The Daleks are too powerful, too many nasty add on's." Tegan answered.

The Doctor looked sad, "I can't help you. If I make changes in your time line I will be in serious trouble with the High Council. The Dalek wars must happen. So many races must stop their own petty wars to fight against the Daleks."

"You have to. You are our only hope." she begged.

"I am so sorry Tegan, but I'm not allowed to interfere unless under direct orders from the High Council." he insisted.

Tegan laughed bitterly, "You know, I have no idea why I bothered coming here. You are just another Gallifreyain wimp, too scared to come out of your little safe world and see what is going on with the rest of the universe's. You wouldn't help a dying man!"

"That was harsh Tegan, you know I'm not like the other Time Lord's." he said softly looking sad.

"Your old age has changed you into one of them. The Doctor I knew never let a few stupid rules get in the way of saving millions of lives." Tegan snapped.

"This is not a stupid rule." the Doctor insisted.

She glared at him.

"Okay, maybe it is stupid. Unluckily its one of the few rules I can't break!" he replied.

Tegan touched the TARDIS doors, they drifted open silently.

"Where are you going?" the Doctor asked.

"Back to Earth. Its the closest place I have to a home. Although its not much of one. Now its just one big Dalek crawling bomb site. I have to get back there somehow, to save my people as you can't be bothered!" she snapped.

"You know I'd help you if I could." the Doctor exclaimed.

"You used to tell me that you loved Earth and humans. That was just make believe, wasn't it? Just to keep your companions quiet and happy. The Red Neck, bare foot and pregnant syndrome!" Tegan asked.

"I've never lied to you." he said.

"No, you just didn't tell me anything that might upset me!" she said.

"You were young, there are things in the universe's, that no one should see." he said.

"Well, I'm not the girl you knew. Naive and innocent. Sweet and good. I've seen murder and death more times than even you have. I've lost close friends. I've seen people taken to pieces in front of my eyes. I've been hunted, trapped, imprisoned, tortured, even enslaved." Tegan said softly, "But I can still help my race, even if I die trying."

"You sound like a fanatical combat ready member of Earth's useless Army, ready to risk all for Queen and country." the Doctor muttered thinking about UNIT.

"Death holds no fear for me. I've been close to it often enough. My life is nothing, what I can do with it is everything. If I save just one person before I die, then my fight was worth while. If I

can save more, I will." Tegan said.

"You can't save an entire race on your own." he insisted.

"Then come with me, please Doctor." she begged one last time.

"You know that isn't possible." the Doctor snapped.

"Oh, go away, I don't need you. We can die on our own!" Tegan snapped and faded away.

The Doctor stood looking at the coat rack where she'd faded from. "I'm sorry Tegan, I'll find a way to help you. Somehow." he muttered.

He put his hand back in the slot on the console and the room faded from around him.

The Doctor woke up in his own room. "Tegan's in trouble." he whispered, "Must get to her quickly!"

Then realised where he was. His own room, cricket trophies every where. His jacket on a peg by the door with his hat. All familiar items.

His door opened and Turlough entered looking confused, "How did I get here?" he asked.

"Where were you headed?" the Doctor asked grateful for the distraction.

"The console room to check the scanner." Turlough answered.

"The TARDIS keeps doing this, she must miss Tegan." the Doctor said thinking about his 'dream', "We all do."

"Can we visit her?" Turlough asked.

"Not yet, the time frames are too close. Just two weeks apart. We could leap back into the same time line as before, which would be too dangerous. Temporal distortions, two versions of one person can not exist in the same place and time." he said.

"Couldn't we dive into the future a few weeks and see her that way?" he asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not with that time tunnel still around, if we get caught in it he could be pulled down into the wrong time frame. I can't take the risk. If the High Council caught me, I could be in serious trouble."

"More so than for running away from being Lord President of Gallifrey?"

"Well, lets just hope they don't catch up with us."

"Is there really no choice, but waiting?"

"I'm sorry, Turlough. We'll go soon, I promise."

Turlough nodded.

"Lets try and get to the console room together. I'll take you back to the Eye of Orion. We deserve a rest." the Doctor said cheerfully leading his friend out into the corridor.

Secretly he was worrying over what he'd seen. He didn't dream, never had.

Until these last few weeks since he'd lost Tegan. Everything he saw was telling him that she was in danger. Every instinct he had was telling him to go to her, but he couldn't risk it.

Not yet, the TARDIS was being too unreliable again. He needed to get her mended somehow. Although where he had no idea, now Logopolis had been destroyed by the Master.

"I'll come as soon as I can Tegan, I promise. Once I can escape these fools following me, " he whispered.

The console room door flew open, and the Doctor bustled through with Turlough following. He punched several buttons and then looked up at his companion. "On course for the Eye of Orion, we should arrive shortly. Now, how about some breakfast?"

Turlough shrugged and followed him back out of the door. As is closed behind them, a shadowy figure appeared. Features hidden by a large black cloak with is hood pulled right over the person's face. They had been hiding behind the open door.

Now, the figure checked that the two travellers were out of sight and silently shut the door. Barring it with the coat stand. Quietly, he crossed to the console and checked the display screen.

"Eye of Orion?" the figure whispered, "Not right now Doctor, I'm afraid that a sight detour is in your stars for today!"

Pressing buttons and changing the direction of the ship, so smoothly that the Doctor never realised. Finally he locked the co-ordinates into the memory banks. Preventing any tampering before arrival at ground zero.

Again silently, the figure returned the coat rack to its usual position, and vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two.

Tegan opened her eyes. She'd drifted off for a few moments and dreamt about the Doctor. Something she hadn't done in a long time. The dream had left her with a lingering strong feeling that he was indeed still alive. She wondered if he could/would help her troops. Anything was worth a try.

Looking heavenwards she pleaded, "If there truly is a God in those heavens looking down on me. Please send me my old friend, the Doctor. I need him here. He is our only chance of survival now!"

Tegan waited, half hoping to hear the unmistakeable sound of the TARDIS arriving. What was the proper word? she tried to remember.

Dematerialising! she remembered at last. "Come on Doc, dematerialise!" she muttered.

Still nothing happened.

Then Tegan got an answer, but not the one she was hoping for.

A large group of Spider Daleks appeared from nowhere with normal Daleks behind them. The Spiders were scorching all the scrubby ground away so that the big Daleks could follow them.

"Scatter!" she shouted as both types of Daleks started to power up their weapons.

"Work your way back to main base ASAP." Tegan ordered over the constant metallic screams of 'EXTERMINATE' coming from the enemy.

She quickly glanced around to see if her people were obeying the command.

They were, but far too slowly. The attack had taken them by total surprise. Many people were up and running, but almost as many lay on the ground having already been shot down.

For a moment the horror of it all froze Tegan to the spot. Her mind flashed back to another time. When she'd lost the most important person in her life. Someone she had cared for deeply.

A Dalek beam brought Tegan back to her senses as it flew passed her, just inches from her face.

She ran, two standard Daleks broke off from the group and followed her. Tegan glanced back and wished she hadn't. They were right behind her and gaining fast. Heading into the ruined city, she hoped to lose them in the twisting and turning back alleys.

She ducked into a tiny alley way to rest for a few seconds and tapped the microchip in her arm until she was patched into the Dalek communication wave lengths. Somehow she'd been recognised as the leader of the resistance and more units had been sent after her. They had been ordered to locate and destroy at any cost.

In total five standard Daleks and three spider Daleks had been sent. That was seriously heavy duty. They wanted her dead for some reason. Did they think she had a chance of destroying them?

They must have, to send that many units after her. Stray humans were normally ignored so that they would group together and one attack would take out more of them all at the same time. If they thought it was an important human one or two units would be sent after him/her. But five units and three spiders!

There was little chance that she'd get out of this one alive. Not that it bothered Tegan a great deal. She faced death constantly, her whole life revolved around it. Effecting each and every single moment of her existence.

Peered around the wall she'd been resting against. A Dalek was coming over to her. Tegan ducked her head back and grabbed her gun. The power pack was full having been recharged for the raid.

She waited calmly until the Dalek glided passed her hiding place and fired. It exploded with a satisfying fireball. Tegan walked over to the remains and chucked a primed bomb inside, just to make sure.

She dived for cover as it exploded. "One down, seven to go." she muttered.

Tegan got up slowly and looked around. She could sense a Dalek presence nearby. Dangerously close, but she could see nothing. She flipped down her prototype visor and checked for hot spots. (Even through the metal shell the old Kaled bodies showed heat signatures.)

No heat traces either. "Come on, where the hell are you?" Tegan whispered.

A spider Dalek dropped down on her from the top of the wall spitting poisonous venom on her skin. Tegan instinctively fired, the spider crumpled , caught fire and died.

Tegan shoved the spider away and wiped off the poison before it had a chance to work. Then she dropped the cloth on top of the spider so it would burn up along with the rest of the metallic wreckage.

"One of each down." Tegan said softly.

But could she get away from 4 units and two spiders?

As long as she still had her gun and bombs she'd damn well try!

Tegan climbed up onto the top of a building and looked around for the Daleks. Two were in the street below her. There was a pile of rubble on the other side of the road.

Tegan pulled out two bombs and primed them. She whistled loudly ,leaning out over the roof.

The Daleks swivelled their eye stalks up at her.

"Hey! You are meant to be chasing me. Wanna meet me up here?" she asked.

"Come down or we will exterminate you" the larger Dalek said. He had black bobbles on his grey body instead of darker grey. He was higher up the chain of command, but not that far up.

"No way, your orders are to fry me!" Tegan replied.

The bombs were ticking down fast. She checked them, five seconds remaining. Hurled the two bombs at the rubble and ducked down back behind the upper wall. The blast rocked her building. Tegan screamed as the building crumbled under her.

The whole side of the building collapsed. Her head bashed by a piece of rubble on the way down and she lost consciousness. The sliding rubble continued down to street level, where she was flung clear before another large chunk of the building collapsed.

A short while later Tegan revived to see a spider Dalek crawling over the rubble towards her. Ripped a knife from her boot and slammed it into the spider, pinning it to the ground. She stood quickly and slammed her foot down on the monster again and again, until it was totally destroyed. The pieces ground deep into the tattered grass.

Tegan felt her head, she had a wound that was still bleeding above her right eye. Luckily it wasn't as bad as it felt. She pressed a button on her bio-chip and it ran a quick medical scan of her present condition.

*Injury Detected*

Blood loss: approx. 10mm/s

Concussion: mild

*Seek medical advice*.

Tegan knew that she had to get back to the main base before she collapsed. Get medical help and find out the raid results. Plan the next one etc. etc. It was never ending.

She still had her back pack. Most of its contents were intact. Her field medical box was missing so she couldn't clean up the wound, but that was all. She'd been lucky, could've lost everything.

A few steps away was her gun. It was damaged badly and didn't seem to be able to fire. She'd just to manage without it. Tegan slung the gun on her shoulder and walked off. She had no idea what part of town she was in. She was too tired and disorientated. Staggering off towards a main road she hoped to find some signs to show her where she was.

Unluckily as soon as she reached the road two units appeared and started chasing her. Tegan dived into some twisting passages hoping to loose them. Running right passed her landmark without noticing, a battered street sign saying Southwark Park Road. Very close to Main Base and safety.

Unlucky a second time, Tegan headed into a blind alley, but didn't realise it until she was already half way down. She slowed and glanced back up the alley. It was too late to go back. The Daleks were already coming in the top. She couldn't go back, but she couldn't go forward very far either.

Then find a third option!

Tegan glanced franticly around, trying not to panic. There were no doors, no ledges or openings anywhere. And no way she could reach up high enough to the broken ladder on the wall. The end was about seven feet up the wall. Too high even to jump up to . There was no third way out anywhere.

"It always worked for the Doctor!" she complained close to tears.

She backed away down the alley as the Daleks came closer.

They were almost in firing range.

Her back hit something hard, the back wall she guessed.

Tegan heard a shrill noise and looked up. The last spider Dalek was hanging on the wall and raising its gun at her head. The other Daleks would be in range within 30 seconds.

Closed her eyes knowing this was the end. She'd never been as sure about anything in her life before, as she was now about her death. "I guess my Aussie luck finally ran out, Doc. I guess you won't be visiting me after all." she muttered, "I'm sorry, Doctor!.

She heard the Dalek guns starting to power up, they would fire in a few seconds time.

Tegan had just seconds left to live. She wished they'd hurry up.

"What's a few extra seconds!" she exclaimed.

A voice deep in the back of her mind answered quietly, "Just long enough for the Doctor to work out a fool proof escape plan!"

"I'm not him!" she shouted, even though plans started to form at the back of her head about escaping. Old ways the Doctor had used, others he hadn't, but might work.

Tegan heard a sound behind her, like a door opening. That's strange, how could a door open in a stone wall? she wondered. Near death and I start hearing things, great!

There was a rubbish bin lid next to her leg. If she grabbed it, would the plastic be strong enough to deflect the beams long enough for before they could fire again? She'd have to run fast, but could she do it?

Tegan mentally measured the distance between herself and the rubbish bin lid. Five paces, maybe a little more. Not very far to go, a quick dive would cover that easily.

Deflect the beams as they fired, throw the lid at the Daleks and run. A dozen paces would put her passed the tin cans on wheels. They'd start firing by now, but if she was fast and managed to dodge the beams on the way, she could make it. Even if she didn't, she wouldn't be much worse off than she was now!

The spider fired at her head.

Tegan ducked and dived for the lid.

Her fingers just touched the rim as she hit the ground hard. A energy beam flew after her and hit her shield burning a hole straight through.

Tegan sighed, so much for that plan!

There was that sound again, like a door scraping open. She had no idea what it was, and honestly didn't care.

"Cease all movement or be exterminated!" the lead Dalek grated.

Tegan knew what that meant, if she gave herself up there would be weeks/months of torture to discover everything she knew. Then dumping on a prison ship to slowly and painfully die!

"Stand rebel." the leader ordered.

She did slowly. Waited a few seconds and then threw the lid at it. Bouncing off the gun stalk causing damage. Tegan ran to the right trying to avoid any beams from the other two.

Suddenly a strong arm grabbed Tegan around the waist from behind . She struggled for a moment and then lay still in the person's arms, realising if she could feel arms then it couldn't be a Dalek who'd grabbed her.

They didn't use human agents anymore. Those old duplicates had proven to be far too unstable. She caught sight of a slightly grubby cream sleeve, as she was dragged backwards and through a door, that hadn't been there before.

She watched multiple Dalek beams flash passed them. Then smelt the beams burning something nearby.

Tegan had been pulled off balance by the person who grabbed her and fell flat on her face. She heard doors closing in front of her and a familiar humming sound.

Just before she blacked out she saw some one kneel down in front of her and try to keep her conscious with some strong smelling liquid, but it was too late.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Tegan half woke up feeling very groggy. Her pounding head made her think that even a slight movement, such as opening her eyes, was a very bad idea.

As she lay there (where ever there was!), she listened to her surroundings searching for any clues to who or what her captors were. Tegan could hear a faint, gentle humming sound. The same as she'd heard when she'd entered this place. It might have been coming from something electrical.

There was someone in the room with her, she could feel the presence. It was male surely. The steps were heavy and well spaced apart. Like a worried man pacing across a room.

Although why would he be worried about her?The person knocked into an object and tried to muffle the sound so as not to disturb her sleep. Hopefully some one nice, if they were acting like that. Someone she knew maybe?

This doesn't sound like a Dalek prison ship she thought. Not unless they provide room service and soft beds now. It doesn't even smell bad, the air is filtered. Clean and fresh. Not recycled a dozen times like on a prison ship.

Tegan was warm and comfy, more so then she had been in very long time. It felt good just to lay in bed doing nothing, but relaxing. She hadn't done that since before she'd come into this time zone.

She knew it couldn't last though. There were raids to plan and important things like that. Her friends needed her skills once more. She must have been found and taken back to the base, there was nowhere else she could be.

"Lt. Brown?" she asked sleepy without opening her eyes, "What are the results of the raid?"

A hand brushed her face. "I'm not Lt. Brown. You are safe now. I will protect you, that I promise on my twin hearts." a soft male voice whispered, "Sleep you need to recover from your wounds."

She recognised the voice, but couldn't put a face or a name to it. Tiredness seemed to be flooding into her body from the man's hand.

Tegan absent-mindedly started thinking about the humming noise. It slowly dawned on her sleepy mind what the sound was and also where it meant she was staying. In which case she also knew who the man was!

It took a few more moments for the information to sink in. Then Tegan shot up right, all signs of her tiredness gone. She shook her head feeling more than a little dizzy and took in her surroundings. White room, bright lights coming from somewhere she couldn't see.

Roundels on the walls, no doubt holding most of the medical equipment. There was enough still on display to show that this was clearly a medic unit of some sort.

There were two basic beds in the room. One she was laying on, the other on the far wall. There was a chair at the foot of her bed. A wicker one which looked extremely uncomfortable.

A man was sitting in the chair, he glanced up at her. "You really should rest, you know."

Tegan looked closer at the young man with short blonde hair, wearing Edwardian style cricket clothes and recognised him at once. "Doctor?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes, but not the kind you are thinking of," he said, "I am known as the Doctor."

"I know Doc," Tegan said, "We travelled together, remember?"

"I'm sorry young lady, but I have no idea who you are," the Doctor replied.

"Wrong time line?" Tegan muttered, "But it can't be. I knew you before you were you!"

"What are you talking about," the Doctor answered

"I'm not sure, time line paradoxes were always more your kinda thing than mine." Tegan admitted with a yawn.

"You have mild concussion. Can you tell me your name?" he asked.

"Concussion now and last time. If I'd known that was all it took to get you to come back, then I would have done it years ago," she muttered.

"Can you remember your name?" the Doctor asked softly, more than a little worried about his new friend. Rambling on like that wasn't a good sign. Maybe there was something more serious wrong with the girl than he'd first thought.

"Okay, now this is getting very weird!" Tegan exclaimed, "You must know who I am. I travelled in this TARDIS with you for a really long time."

"I'm terribly sorry young lady, but I have never seen you before today, " the Doctor answered.

"I'm the annoying Aussie girl who drove you up the wall: Tegan Jovanka. Remember me now?" she asked.

"You can't be Tegan, she stayed on Earth in her near future. I'm not even on Earth!" he exclaimed.

"The TARDIS is just as reliable as ever then," she muttered, "You really have to get around to repairing it, Doctor."

"I have no idea who you are young lady, but you are not Tegan," he said, "Why are you trying to convince me that you are?"

"Because I am!" Tegan replied confused.

"If someone wanted to pass you off as Tegan, they should have picked someone who's appearance is more suited to hers!" the Doctor complained.

"No one is trying to pass me off as Tegan. I mean, who'd bother to do something like that?" she asked.

"The Master, The Black Guardian. Any of my enemies," the Doctor replied.

"I'm not working for any of them. I'm Tegan Jovanka. The same girl you knew, just a bit older. I haven't changed all that much, have I?" she asked getting annoyed.

Another young man walked in. Red hair which looked greasy, wearing a black suit, white suit and tie. Old school uniform, he'd never worn anything else in all the time she'd known him, even though the TARDIS had a massive wardrobe he could have chosen from.

"How is she?" he asked.

"The girl appears to be fine, apart from the fact she is convinced her name is Tegan Jovanka," the Doctor answered.

"Turlough,I never thought I'd ever be so happy to see you again. Will you please tell this stubborn idiot that I'm really Tegan Jovanka, not some cheap copy that wants to take over the TARDIS?" she asked.

The newcomer looked closely at the girl, sitting up on the bed. She had some of Tegan's attitude and a faint hint of her accent. Her hair was very long and very dirty. It didn't look like it had been washed or combed in weeks.

Tegan had short hair and always kept it clean and tidy, when he'd known her. Her hair had been her pride and joy, no matter how bad the danger they'd been in, her hair was always perfect. She'd made a point of it.

The girl's clothes consisted of a body hugging vest top and trousers. Her jacket hung over the side of a nearby chair. All three were made of brown cloth and were all well patched, dirty and ripped. On her feet were strong leather boots, also brown, which came up to her knees.

"You are not Tegan." he said at last.

"Why are you both convinced of that?" she asked.

"You look nothing like her. That hair, those clothes. She'd never live like that." Turlough answered.

Tegan glared at him and then at the Doctor.

"Great!" she exclaimed, "I'm stuck here with my old friends and they refuse to admit who I am. And they just happen to be the only people in the universe who can help me."

Tegan started to cry from sheer exhaustion, "I carried you here with me all this time Doctor." she said, pointing at her heart.

"When ever things got really tough I thought of you and you made me feel better. When ever I thought I couldn't go on any more, it was your voice that I heard. Calling 'brave heart' to me, like you always did when I was scared.

"When I thought all was lost, I asked myself what would the Doctor do and then I did it. That saved the lives of countless numbers of my troops. The Daleks have taken over Earth now. Only a handful of us humans are left to fight against them. I am in control of those rebels, who's numbers decrease every day.

"This morning when I looked around at my troops while we rested before a raid. I realised we had run out of chances. No more plans left to use, no place left to run, no hope. So I did the only thing I could think of.

"I prayed. Something I haven't done for years. I prayed for you to come. Because I knew you'd be the only person who could help us.

"Do you know what happened?" Tegan asked.

The Doctor shook his head, her alien problem interesting him. In his dream Tegan had had the same one. Could it be that this girl really was her?

"We got attacked by a group of Dalek units and specials. Many more good people died. People I know! Those who could ran. I was followed, five units and three specials.

"I had no hope except to lose them in alley ways. I killed a few. Ended up nearly blowing myself up. Hence the wounds and concussion. I got lost and ended up in that back alley where you found me.

"I must have been a few seconds off dying when you saved me. Now I wish you'd let me die. Without your help I might as well be dead, just like all my friends. It won't be long before the Daleks over run our bases and kill the last few of my species left.

"You always said that you cared about Earth and humans. Now I wonder if that was all just lies. You weren't there when Earth needed you. I had to be. I've had to work at everything by myself and I'm sick of it. A few days, maybe weeks and it won't matter any more. Frontios will contain the last of my kind." Tegan shouted.

She was getting very worked up now and her Aussie accent was becoming more visible by the split second. "Thanks a lot Doc, go back to Gallifrey. Go and live out the rest of your life by the Time Lords famous non nterference policy. Earth doesn't need you any more. Leave us to be slaughtered by the Daleks!" she shouted and slid off the bed.

For one of the first times in his many lives the Doctor didn't know what to say.

Tegan glared at him again. "I never forgot your heartfelt plea as I left, but I guess I was the only one." she spat. She pulled on her jacket and picked up her brown back pack which Turlough had left on the floor after helping to carry her in.

Tegan pulled out a bundle of silvery coloured triangle shaped bombs for the bag and checked them very carefully. "What are they for?" Turlough asked.

"The Daleks, if I'm going to die here, I'm going to take as many of those oversized pepper pots on wheels with me as I can!" she replied bitterly, attaching the bombs to the special clips on her belt.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye again. I will miss you both, but then I said that last time. And you didn't miss me at all. I don't know why I bother." she said tears welling up again.

As she tried to push passed the Doctor to get to the door he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Something wrong Doc?" she asked softly.

"For a few seconds you reminded me of Tegan." he answered sounding quite surprised.

"I am Tegan, but I don't know how I can prove it to you. I admit I've changed, but I didn't think it was that much." she said softly.

"Isn't there something you could ask that only the real Tegan would know?" Turlough suggested.

"That's it!" she exclaimed.

"Tegan did travel with you for a long time. There must be plenty you could ask her about" Turlough said.

"I'm sure I can think of something" the Doctor replied, "Maybe you should sit down first. You look pale." he suggested.

Tegan did as she was told. She wouldn't admit it to any one, but she felt dreadful. "Can you start with something easy?" Tegan asked, "Its been a while."

The Doctor nodded. "Something easy?" he asked himself, "If you are Tegan then you are human like me, correct?" he asked.

"You human?" Tegan asked, "Yeah right, and a Dalek is a cuddly kids toy! You are a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I can't remember exactly where the planet is, never was that good at spacial co-ordinates!"

"What are the main differences between a human and a Time Lord?" Turlough asked.

"Apart from the fact a certain Time Lord I know is extremely stubborn and annoying?" Tegan asked.

"This is serious" the Doctor reminded her.

"Don't you think I know that?" she asked, "My whole race's survival is dependant on whether I win this argument!"

She thought carefully before answering. "Two hearts, telepathic abilities which are often used to talk to his ship. More often than not they are also used to add or remove hypnotism as I unluckily found out a few times. Can regenerate his body and how he looks. The real Tegan knew little about you. Never would share your past!" she replied

"Do you know what a Zero Room is?" the Doctor asked.

"That was a long time ago!" Tegan complained screwing her face up in concentration. "Its used to help a bad regeneration. Cuts out all noise so that the brain can re-form correctly. Inside it is pinkish grey, and smells of roses."

"She is convincing." Turlough commented.

"You would be to if you'd been hypnotically conditioned into believing you were Tegan. This kind of information would have to be given for even a quick visit here." the Doctor explained patiently.

"Try something harder then!" Tegan exclaimed, "I'd like to get out of here before I'm 90 years old! If you don't want to believe me then just let me go!"

"When we first met it was just Tegan, me and Turlough, correct?" the Doctor asked.

"No, we didn't meet Turlough for a long time." she said thoughtfully.

"So just you and me." the Doctor commented. The first wrong answer. So was she the real Tegan who'd made a mistake or was she something else?

"No, there was Nyssa and Adric too. Didn't realise you were going to be that picky!" Tegan said.

"I have to be." he muttered.

"Look, I'm tired and I have a lot to do. Can we finish this?" she asked.

The Doctor was pretty much convinced by now, but wanted to play his ace card just in case. "We travelled to a planet called Deva Loca, what happened there?" he asked.

"Nothing much. It was a nice planet. We found some wind chimes. I fell asleep. You woke me up, we left" she answered tersely.

Tegan must have mentally blacked out the memory of Deva Loca. Had the Mara returned in her mind? he wondered, it shouldn't have been possible. He'd thought that it was destroyed forever.

"What else happened?" the Doctor asked calmly.

"There was nothing else. We looked around and then we left" she snapped.

"Something else did happen, what was it?" he insisted.

"I don't remember anything else" she said.

"I think you do remember, you just don't want to" he said.

"There is nothing to remember!" she hissed.

"The real Tegan would know!" the Doctor commented.

"I am she, but there is still nothing to remember!" Tegan snapped.

"You fell asleep under the wind chimes, then what happened?" he demanded once again.

"I don't remember. Please don't make me remember!" she begged, the memory starting to break out.

"Stop it Doctor. Its Tegan, she's proved that" Turlough interrupted.

"There is no doubt in my mind that this is Tegan. I'm just worried there might be something else in her mind. The Mara, if it is still in there then she will need our help to remove the creature before it harms her again!" the Doctor insisted.

Turlough nodded, he hadn't been around when the Mara had taken Tegan over, but he'd heard about it. If the Doctor said it was bad then he believed him.

The Doctor took her hands in his. "You have to remember Tegan. What happened when you fell asleep?" he asked quietly.

Tegan stared up at him, wild eyed and angry. "You left me there all alone. You left me to fall asleep. You made it all happen!" she accused.

"Made what happen?" the Doctor asked.

"I saw strange people. They told me that I didn't exist. A man came, he believed in me. But he frightened me. There was a tattoo on his arm, a evil looking snake. He wanted my body, to exist through me. I refused again and again.

"He insisted that I would agree. One side of madness or the other. It didn't bother him which. He sent me into darkness. Terrifying blackness. I couldn't take any more, I allowed him into me.

"I was told to hold out my arm. The tattooed snake travelled over to my arm. He had my mind. He was evil. He was the Mara! You destroyed him, but it didn't work. He came back and was stronger than ever" Tegan was sobbing now.

The Doctor hugged her gently. "Everything is all right now. You are our Tegan. The Mara is gone and can never return again" he said.

Hoping that he was right about the monster. She wouldn't survive it coming back a third time. The second time it had nearly destroyed her, he'd had to go to extreme lengths to try and free Tegan then. Almost costing his own life and if the need arose he would risk it again.

A third time would completely destroy Tegan's mind. The strain would snap her like a rubber band. She'd be left as a empty shell of a person. No memories, nothing of the personality would survive.

He couldn't allow a thing like that to happen to his close friend, he cared too much for her. A firm eye would have to be kept on this new Tegan, if there was any sign of the Mara he'd notice.

He'd have to, her sanity and life would depend on it!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Tegan wiped her eyes on the hanky the Doctor offered.

"Why did you make me relive that thing in my head?" she demanded.

"When you refused to answer I was worried that some how a piece of the Mara had remained in your mind. I had to know, it is far too dangerous to allow a piece of that creature to exist," he explained, secretly still hoping there wasn't.

"I'm dangerous too Doctor, if I wasn't so glad to see you then I'd clobber you!" she said half smiling.

"What has happened to you?" Turlough asked, "We've only been gone about two weeks!".

"Two weeks?" Tegan asked, "You've got a crossed circuit somewhere!"

"How long as it been for you?" the Doctor asked.

"Its 1989!" she exclaimed.

"Oh," he replied.

"Five years!" Turlough exclaimed remembering that the Doctor had told them it was 1984 when they'd landed before.

" Nearer six actually. Just a minor reason why I'd look a little different!" she laughed with relief. Finally there was someone to take over her burden of being responsible for everyone. Or at least lighten it a little.

"I'm so sorry I didn't recognise you, Tegan. You just look so strange!" Turlough said.

"Strange as in war-time refugee?" she asked.

"Strange as in no high heels and short tight skirts," the Doctor remarked.

"Did wear a lot of them, didn't I?" she muttered, staring down at her tatty brown trousers.

"I never could understand how you could run in them," Turlough said.

"I couldn't, why do you think I swopped to these!" she exclaimed.

"Tegan, why are there Daleks here?" the Doctor asked.

"So much for 'Hi Tegan, missed you these last six years. How have you been doing? How's the weather etc. etc.'" she commented dryly.

"Miss you?" the Doctor asked, "Why would I do that?"

"Because I used to drive you bonkers!" Tegan teased, "Must have been peaceful without me!".

"Too peaceful" Turlough said, "We only ran into one uncontrollable demon, two aliens who wanted to destroy the universe and a mad man who believed that he actually did control the universe!".

"Why does that not surprise me?" she asked, " Business as usual".

"Tegan!" the Doctor exclaimed even more impatiently.

"Yes, Doctor?" she asked innocently.

"The Daleks?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I'd almost forgotten about them, I have to get to my troops," she replied getting up. She felt very dizzy immediately.

"You must rest for a while first" the Doctor insisted.

"There will be time for rest later. Right now my troops need me, so I will be there for them. It is my duty as Commander," she informed him coldly.

"The Tegan I knew would never have had troops or been a Commander. She hated violence as much as I do," he commented softly.

"Your Tegan hadn't been left on a war ruined Earth, all alone, with the choice of joining the resistance group and fight for her planet's freedom, or die slowly and painfully!" she exclaimed.

"I was lucky to even get that choice," Tegan continued more quietly.

"Doesn't sound like you've been having much fun," Turlough commented

"I've been fighting almost non stop for my entire six year stay. No long breaks, no holidays, no trips off to the Eye of Orion to relax. Just kill or be killed. You try living like that!" she snapped.

Tegan collected her bag and pushed passed them into the corridor.

Her 'friends' followed at a discreet distance. Tegan ignored the fact that they were whispering about her. It had been a long time. She'd had to change so much just to survive it wasn't surprising that they hardly recognised her.

With an instinct she'd long forgotten, she weaved her way through the endlessly twisting featureless white corridors towards the console room.

Tegan smiled as she entered. Everything was just the same as she remembered. The console in the centre of the room, humming faintly. Brilliant white walls with hundreds of roundels inset into the wall. She knew they were often used for storage, but had no idea what was in most of them.

She walked around the console looking at the millions of insanely complex dials, buttons, levers and view screens, wondering if any of them worked any better now.

Noticed in the corner of her eye, the hat stand over by the double doors, where it normally stayed. They only thing missing was her fuzzy coat that used the hang there.

The missing coat pulled Tegan sharply away from her memories. Reminding her that she unluckily no longer belonged to this place or the Doctor's time line. All this was almost six years in her past. Something she couldn't alter now.

She heard a noise in the doorway and turned. The Doctor was standing there. Turlough just behind him. Tegan wondered how long they'd been there and if they'd seen her wandering around like an idiot caught in a web of memories.

"How long have you been there?" she whispered.

"Long enough," The Doctor answered softly.

"Long enough for what?" she asked, not expecting a reply. Which was good, as he didn't give her one.

Turlough walked over and switched on the wall mounted scanner. The street outside was empty.

"Looks like your Daleks are gone," he commented.

"For now, they'll be back with loads of others soon," Tegan answered.

"Long enough to know you need rest and a safe place," the Doctor commented suddenly.

"Are you on time delay?" Tegan asked annoyed.

"The Doctor is right, you should rest," Turlough added.

"There is no point trying to stop me. I have to go, you must understand that I have no choice. These people rely on me totally, I can't let hem down. And nothing short of punching me out will stop me from going to them, Doctor. I know that's something you could never do," she insisted.

"I am not letting you out of here, Tegan," the Doctor said firmly, "You need rest and medical help. I made the mistake of not getting you that before and it cost me our companionship and nearly your friendship as well. I won't risk that again!"

"You lost my friendship a long time ago. Nothing you can do to change that. I need your help, that's the only reason I'm still here," Tegan snapped.

The Doctor looked understandably hurt. If Tegan wasn't in so much of a hurry, she would have said she was sorry. There was no time, the attack must have been hours before. She was needed again. If her troops were to survive, then she had to hurry back to base.

He couldn't understand what he had done to upset his friend so much. Although they hadn't parted on the best of terms, Tegan hadn't shown that she hated him. In fact she had mentioned several times how much she'd miss him. Which she had done again, just minutes before this.

"You can't stop me from leaving," Tegan commented, breaking his train of thought.

"I can and I will," the Doctor said stubbornly.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"I simply won't open the doors," he answered.

Tegan smiled, "You are bluffing."

"I never bluff," the Doctor said.

"What about when ..." Turlough started to say.

"That was different," the Doctor snapped.

Tegan walked around to the other side of the console, the side nearer the door. She studied the controls for a moment and then reached out towards a large red switch, pulling it downwards.

Nothing happened.

"Like I said, without me you are stuck here," the Doctor commented.

Tegan glared at him, "Open the door or you'll regret it!"

"If I opened that door and lost you again I'd regret it," the Doctor whispered. An uncharacteristic comment showing his true feelings for once.

"I'm already a lost soul," Tegan said, "The Daleks took everything I have ever cared about and everything else I might have as well. My only reason for living is to win this war. To make sure no one else has to suffer the horrors I have!".

She leaned down and slammed her fist into the console, remembering at last, the Doctor's normal cure for any mechanical problems. The doors glided open quietly.

"Coming with me?" Tegan asked, "Or are you just too scared to find out just what you've caused here?" She walked outside without waiting for a reply.

"We have to go after her," Turlough said.

"We will, Tegan needs our help. Just give her a few moments to calm down," the Doctor answered.

Turlough suspected that it was really the Doctor who needed time to recover.

The Doctor's quick glance in his direction and he collected his hat from the coat stand confirmed that.

As did the quiet 'Come Along'.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"I know you said it would be hard for them, but you never told me just hard it would really be!" Tegan muttered to herself as she sat down. Hoping the her earlier chosen plea would have the desired effect on her old companion. Her instructions had to be followed to the letter from now on, whether they made sense to her or not. She wished secretly that she had never agreed to the alliance. It may have gifted her the Doctor, but she wasn't sure if she could do what she was ordered to.

The Doctor and Turlough stepped out of the TARDIS, into the dirty back alley, and looked around for Tegan. She wasn't in sight. They walked out of the street quickly, hoping to catch up with her.

They came out into a large open area with rubble everywhere and a large fairly clear road running through it. With no sign of Tegan.

"Where is she!" the Doctor muttered.

"Over here," Tegan called.

They turned round and saw her sitting on a large block of wood and fiddling with her gun.

"Didn't think you'd show," she commented.

"I don't abandon my friends," the Doctor said.

"Don't you?" Tegan asked staring at him.

"You wanted to leave," the Doctor insisted.

Tegan stood, slinging the gun over her shoulder. "We'd better get moving. I need to get somewhere high so I can work out where we are," she said.

"Don't you know?" Turlough asked in surprise.

"Would you know if you'd been racing around any streets you could find with Dalek's and specials on your tail and then had a house fall on you?" she asked angrily.

"Lets go," the Doctor interrupted hastily, hoping to avoid another lengthy argument.

Tegan nodded, "This way," she said pointing ahead of them.

The Doctor looked around at all the rubble. As far as the eye could see were piles of rubble and half collapsed houses, where a thriving town once stood. "Did the Daleks really do all this?" he asked.

"All except this building," she said kneeling in the rubble.

"Who did this one?" Turlough asked.

"I did," Tegan answered picking up something from the wreckage.

"Why?" he asked.

"That or let the Daleks take me prisoner, believe me this was the safer option!" she said brushing off the object. The Doctor tried to get a glimpse of whatever it was. Tegan noticed him almost hanging over her shoulder, "Heat seeking visor. Picks up whats left of the Kaled inside the Dalek. My prototype, smashed!" she complained flinging it away.

"You made the visor?" the Doctor asked confused.

"Yes, I've invented a few useful items during my stay. Why?" Tegan asked.

"Its just you were never interested in mechanical items or fixing things when we travelled together," he commented.

"In six years you have to learn a lot if you want to survive," Tegan said softly, "How to build and repair. The old Commander was a great inventor and a wonderful teacher. Since his death, I have had to take over with Lt. Brown. Learnt a few things watching you and Nyssa for all that time too."

"Any other hidden skills you've developed?" Turlough asked.

Tegan thought for a moment,"I'm a trained healer and medic. I went through basic and advanced medical training during a long stay in hospital. I know quite a lot about herbal remedies. Oh, and I can kill with my bare hands. I learnt only useful things to aid my survival here."

The Doctor shook his head, "I should never have left you here, so battle hardened and callous. What can I ever do to bring back the old Tegan?" he thought.

"Kill with your bare hands?" Turlough asked.

"I know, hand to hand combat isn't very useful for Daleks, but its part of our basic fitness training," Tegan replied.

The Doctor noticed the Spider Dalek she'd stabbed and crunched. "What is this?" he asked softly.

"Special Dalek, I call it a spider because of the shape. Can cover any ground quickly. More versatile than a standard pepper pot," Tegan explained. He reached out to touch it, but got his fingers slapped away by Tegan. "Don't touch!" she ordered and pointed at a yellowy substance all over the machine. "Poison," she explained.

"Great!" Turlough exclaimed.

Tegan pulled out a cloth and carefully removed her knife. Dropping both to the ground she pulled out a lighter and set the spider on fire. She wiped the handle of the blade and dropped the cloth into the fire. Then she held the knife over the flames. Turning the silver to black within seconds.

"You ruined your knife," Turlough said.

"No I cleaned it. I have to do that every time it comes into contact with the poison. There can be no risk of cross contamination. This substance is too lethal." Tegan answered and slid the hot blade into her belt.

"What type of poison?" the Doctor asked.

"A type that burns away skin and bone. Acid based possibly. It burns the part of your body which comes into contact with it. Death is slow and painful. You burn up with fever, have convulsions, hallucinations. All sorts of symptoms. I have a large medical file on the poison back

at main base if you wish to study it in detail," Tegan offered.

"How is it cured?" the Doctor asked.

"It isn't," she muttered sadly.

"Are there other kinds of Spiders?" Turlough asked.

"Oh lots," Tegan answered, "Its the attachments that differ mainly. Flame throwers, Dalek guns, bombs. New kinds pop up every so often."

"Sounds fun!" Turlough said sarcastically.

"Freeze!" Tegan ordered. She pulled the knife from her belt and hurled it towards the Doctor. He stayed perfectly still, hoping there was a reason for this violent outburst. He heard something crunch near his ear.

Tegan push him gently aside. "It nearly got you," she commented pointing at a spider pinned to the wall behind him.

"Silent machine," the Doctor commented.

Tegan nodded, "Watch your step. This is a dangerous town," ripping her knife free.

"Do you have to burn it again?" Turlough asked, impatient to be moving. He didn't like the exposedness of the surrounding area. It was making him feel more and more nervous.

She shook her head and showed him the blade, "No poison, the armour over the body segment is weak. One of the original models, the newer ones can't be killed so easily."

The Doctor bent down next to her to study the Dalek. "No weaponry," he commented.

"What?" she asked.

The Doctor indicated the machine with a pencil, "The surface is smooth, no depressions where a weapon could be concealed, no tubes for poison gases, no sign of blades on the legs or lasers in the eyes."

Tegan came over and examined the creature. "I agree, no weapons of any kind."

"Then lets be grateful for our good luck and leave before one with fire power comes along!" Turlough exclaimed.

"You don't understand, Turlough." she said.

"If there are no weapons, there must be a reason," the Doctor explained.

Tegan looked at the Time Lord, "Probably something far more dangerous and deadly."

"You two are far too suspicious!" Turlough commented.

The Doctor looked up at him, "Put it this way Turlough, how many Daleks have you met that have no weapons and appear harmless?"

He thought about it for a moment, "None I guess."

"I've fought hundreds over the years and I've never found one," Tegan said, "Now shut up and let me work!" She used her knife to prise the spider open carefully. Chipping the blade, it was so difficult. Inside was a tiny camera. She reached in and smashed it.

"What was it?" Turlough asked not being able to see anything.

"They are spying on us. We have to hurry," Tegan said, sounding scared, holding up the camera.

"Highest point I believe, is that pile of rubble," the Doctor said pointing to a place not far off.

Tegan belted over to see where he meant. It was a large pile next to a half collapsed house. There were metal girders all over the ruin.

"That doesn't look safe," Turlough commented.

"No choice," she answered, "I need to get higher."

"That is far too dangerous Tegan, we'll find somewhere else," the Doctor insisted.

"You want to hang around here and wait for the Daleks to find us?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head, "We'll find another way."

Tegan dropped her gun and back pack on the floor, studying for the best way up, none looked very safe.

Once she'd made her choice, Tegan reached up towards the nearest girder, but was too short to reach it. Sometimes she hated being so vertically challenged!

The Doctor leaned over and linked his hands together to make a step. Tegan smiled at him gratefully and used the step to reach the beam. She swung herself upwards and landed on the middle of the next beam.

Slowly she climbed up the rubble and onto the half collapsed building. Tegan was out of breath by now. She waited a few moments until she felt stronger.

"Are you all right?" the Doctor called up.

She glanced down at him. It was a long way, she felt dizzy. Her vertigo was playing up. She took a few deep breaths to try and control it.

"Tegan!" he shouted concerned.

Carefully she looked over the edge again and waved. The Doctor looked content with her reply, so she started climbing again. A brick moved under her foot and she slipped. With a cry of fear she fell over the edge. At the last second her fingers managed to get some grip and she stopped.

Slowly and painfully Tegan dragged herself back up, exhausting the last of her strength. She lay on the small ledge shaking. That had been close. She'd seen the Doctor as she'd slipped. His face was panicked. There was no way he could reach her in time, and that worried him.

She knew she'd have to let him know she was okay, but she just wanted to stay were she was. Just curl up and sleep for a long, long time. She heard Turlough and the Doctor calling her name. With a great effort Tegan pulled herself up again. "I'm fine," she called, see the Doctor.

He was the palest colour she'd ever seen. Her fall seemed to have worried him, even more than it had herself!.

"What happened?" Turlough shouted.

"Loose brick, I'm okay" Tegan shouted back.

She didn't have far to go now. It only took her a few more minutes to reach the roof. There were loose tiles everywhere. Tegan picked up a piece of pipe and used it the check the roof's stability before standing on it. Everything seemed okay.

She kneeled on the roof and looked down. She was very high up now and very nervous. Looking around she saw the glade where they'd rested that morning only a very short walk away. Must have run in circles!

Her bearings found she looked around for any dangers. No Daleks in sight, although she couldn't see very far. Too misty!

Tegan reached over the roof and gave a thumbs up to the others. As she did so the roof under her collapsed and she disappeared with a faint scream.

The Doctor and Turlough raced around to the building's entrance and carefully worked their way through the rubble looking for Tegan, calling her name as they went. Hoping to find something other than a corpse.

Turlough spotted her jacket and grabbed the Doctor's arm. "Over there," he said.

They walked over slowly, worried about what they'd find there. The jacket was half buried under rubble. Frantically they pulled away the stones searching for any sign of her. They heard a soft groan and the remaining rubble moved slightly.

"Tegan?" the Doctor asked softly.

The rubble moved again and Tegan's head appeared as she sat up. She was bruised all over, but there was no sign of any other injuries.

The Doctor pulled her out of the wreckage and helped her to stand. She leaned against him heavily. "How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like I fell through a two story house," Tegan muttered.

"That's because you did," Turlough commented.

"I know," she said, "I'll be okay, in a few minutes."

"I think we had better leave before the rest of this place falls down," the Doctor said.

Tegan let him help her out side. Once there she sat down on a lump of concrete and waited for her dizziness to fade. After a few minutes she collected her things and stood up. "We'd better go before the Daleks get here," she said.

"Could you see which way to go?" Turlough asked.

Tegan nodded. She touched her left arm gently. "I can't sense any Daleks nearby, so we should be okay. The patrol normally doesn't come to this area until well after dark."

"Sense?" the Doctor queried.

"Bio-chip," Tegan replied, "The old Commander invented it." She pulled up her sleeve to reveal a large metal plate in her upper arm. The metal was covered in tiny dials and buttons, even a tiny view screen.

It was at least three inches by two, the Doctor noticed. "How does the bio-chip work?" he asked fascinated by the device.

"It can pick up the metallic compounds in the Dalek's outer body shell. The prototype of my visor and one of our better inventions." Tegan said proudly, "Of course it hasn't been working very well lately. Got damaged in Gamma attack last week. Needs some repairing when I can get back to main base."

She rubbed her arm and looked around. "I think that way will be quickest as well as safest" she said pointing up the main road, "Most of the patrols will be miles away. If that Spider called any, we should be able to dodge easily."

"I think you spoke too soon," Turlough commented as a Dalek patrol containing three standard units came out of the alley on their left.

"Stupid, useless bio-chip," she muttered, kicking at a stone.

"Normal plan?" Turlough asked.

"Might be a very good idea," the Doctor added.

"If you mean running, I agree," Tegan answered.

The Daleks spotted them and started to power up their weapons.

"Okay, on the count of three, head that way," she whispered, pointing to a nearby road.

The first Dalek fired, but the beam missed them completely.

"Three, RUN!" the Doctor shouted.

"Yes Sir!" Tegan muttered sarcastically. Already running and dragging Turlough with her.

"What about your gun?" Turlough asked breathlessly.

"It got damaged earlier, it won't fire," she gasped back.

"Is now a good time to panic?" he replied.

"No, you panic if my plan doesn't work!" she answered.

They turned a corner and ended up in another blind alley.

"This is your town, you should know it better!" Turlough complained.

"This alley isn't what it seems," Tegan answered kicking away rubbish from the side wall. She ran her hand along the brickwork until she located a slightly jutting out stone and then pressed it.

Nothing happened. "This is not my day!" she exclaimed.

"Great, what now?" he asked.

Tegan took a step back and kicked at the stone with all her strength. They heard a low scraping noise, but nothing had visibly happened. "Now what?" Turlough asked.

"This!" she answered grabbing his arm and hurling him at the wall. He passed straight through it.

"You next, Doctor," Tegan said.

She noticed that the alley was empty except for herself.

Then she saw him coming into the alley. He must have been distracting the Daleks so we could get away, she thought. Changed her mind as she noticed he was half carrying, half dragging a hurt girl. While dodging Dalek fire.

"Damn hero!" she swore. Tegan reached into a wooden barrel by her side and pulled out a very large gun. She raced up the road as fast as she could manage. As she passed the Doctor she called out "Head for the end wall!"

Tegan noticed that one Dalek was entering, but the second was staying at the top of the alley watching. That was worrying for a start.

She didn't have a chance to work out what it was up to, because the first Dalek started firing at her.

Tegan dived to the left, rolled and tucked to avoid any more injuries. As she came back up, she raised her weapon and fired.

The Dalek's head exploded in a ball of flame.

She ducked an energy beam from the second Dalek. Tegan brought her gun back up and fired a second time. It missed by a mile, there hadn't been time to aim. The Dalek fled.

She slung the gun onto her back with the damaged one and turned around. The Doctor was waiting for her where she'd left him.

She took the girl's other arm and helped him carry her to the end wall.

"That is a solid stone wall," he commented.

"No, the wall is a hologram. The idea came from our little visit to the Great Fire of London. I kept some of the circuits, but it took us a very long time to develop our own hologram," Tegan answered.

She let go of the girl. "Go ahead, I'll be a few minutes. There's something I need to check."

The Doctor looked annoyed at being kept out of the action, but obeyed. He had no choice. The girl was hurt badly and needed medical help fast.

Once they'd disappeared she ran back up the road in search of the Dalek. Unluckily it was too late. There was nothing in sight. She limped back down the alley far more slowly. Her many injuries catching up with her. It wasn't every day you had a house fall on you, twice!

By the wall, Tegan reached into several barrels and removed four other weapons. Then she kicked over the barrels and made a mess, to make it look like there had been a major disturbance. Hopefully the Daleks wouldn't realise that there was a portal in the wall.

If they did, well they'd deal with that when they had to.

Feeling more than slightly satisfied at her handiwork, Tegan staggered tiredly towards the wall after her friends. Hoping that she could get a nice long rest in before she had to make any more plans.

Tegan felt really tired and ill. She hoped she could sleep for a long time before anything else needed planning or doing. She was Commander though, so it was unlikely. She'd have to see if Lt.

Brown could take over for a few hours.

Satisfied that the Daleks were unlikely to discover the base, Tegan followed her friends through the passageway.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Here comes another prisoner," a voice said as Tegan reached the room beyond the wall hologram.

Someone jumped Tegan, knocking her to the ground. Her arm full of weapons scattered every where. She rolled away from her attacker and felt someone grab her ankle. Kicking out with all her strength,she heard bones crack. The person staggered away.

Tegan jumped up onto her feet ready to defend herself against the second person she could hear. She felt a gun barrel shoved into the small of her back. "Freeze," a familiar young male voice ordered.

"Get lost!" she snapped.

The man slammed her against the now solid wall. "You will obey or be shot." he ordered threatening her with the gun.

Tegan pushed against the wall to give herself momentum and shoved into the man. He staggered away. She ripped the gun from his numb fingers and threw it over the other side of the room.

She noticed that the hurt girl was sprawled on the floor. The Doctor and Turlough were tied up and being held out of the way. "What the hell is going on here?" Tegan demanded.

Looked down at the young man. "And you Lt. Brown should know what your Commander looks like!" she snapped.

"I'm sorry Commander Jovanka. We caught these two Dalek spies coming through the secret entrance. They must have beaten this girl to learn the way. I thought you were another spy," Lt. Brown explained.

"Rubbish!" she exploded, "Those two are with me, old friends of mine, completely trustworthy. I showed them the way, they are our allies. I would stake my life on that and have several times before. The girl was found wounded at the side of a road, near where we were attacked this morning. Release them at ONCE!"

"Yes, Commander," Lt. Brown answered looking scared. He cut the bonds on both 'prisoners' immediately.

Tegan picked up the scattered guns and dropped them into the Doctors arms. She knelt down to check the hurt girl.

"Is she going to be all right?" the Doctor asked, giving the guns to Turlough. Who in turn gave them to the Lieutenant.

"No, she isn't," Tegan said as she got up. "Massive internal damage. Her organs are like soup. There is nothing that we can do for her," she answered. She drew the small hand weapon from her belt and aimed it at the girl's head.

The Doctor knocked Tegan's hand away, just as she fired. The bullet hit the ground harmlessly next to the girl. "You can't kill her," he insisted.

"Can't kill her?" Tegan asked in disbelief.

"Can't kill her!" she repeated, "This girl is dying very painfully. The pain will worsen until death. Which could be nine or ten agonising hours away. My way is far more humane!".

"There has to be another option," the Doctor said.

"There isn't one, our medical supplies are pathetic. We use mainly herbal treatments. If I'd found something to help this I would!" Tegan snapped, "Don't waste any more of my bullets Doctor, by the end of the day there will be dozens more hurt and dying people wanting them."

"There always are," she muttered firing.

Blood and brain tissue stained the nearby ground.

"Take her away and make preparations," Tegan ordered a nearby soldier.

She walked away from the group and sat down on a basic wooden bench tiredly. This small, main area was full of small wooden benches, for resting on and laying wounded to hurt to make it to the medical centre a short way away.

The walls were a dark grey with lights strung all along the top of the room. Several dark tunnels led off of this room, leading to storage areas and the small medical bay. The largest one at the back of the room lead into a long passageway that led to main base.

Tegan held her head in her hands trying not to cry. This wasn't the first time she'd had to shoot someone and it wouldn't be the last. It still got her every time though. A senseless waste of a life. If only she could find some better herbal remedies dozens more might live.

There wasn't time to wonder on 'might have been's'. The Commander's life is a constantly busy one. She still had to study the results of the raid, if it had even gone ahead without her.

"Where are we?" Turlough asked.

"A small base, not far from the TARDIS. We walked around in circles a few times before getting here."

"What happened outside?" he asked, "You were gone a long time!"

"Two Daleks. One I destroyed. The other escaped," she answered without looking up, she didn't know how long he'd been there and didn't care.

"Is that good?" he asked.

"No. Its very, very bad. They know about this safe house now. We need to move fast. Patrol won't have been too far away. The Dalek will have reported by now. There will be little time before an attack force arrives," Tegan muttered.

"What do we do?" Turlough asked.

She looked up at him, "I have no idea anymore."

"Run like hell?" he offered.

"That's the normal plan," she said.

"And it works!" he joked.

Tegan smiled, "Lt. Brown?" she called.

"Yes Commander," the young man said coming over to them.

"Code beta. Gather what weapons and supplies you can. Prepare for an attack force. Start the evacuation," Tegan ordered.

"How long do we have?" he asked.

"Minutes, hours. I have no idea. Get any wounded and as many supplies as you can out first. Take the M. B. tunnel," she answered.

"Tegan, can I speak to you for a moment?" the Doctor asked.

"Not right now. I have to arrange some things. Make sure nothing we desperately need is left behind," she said.

"This is important!" the Doctor insisted.

"So are the lives of my people," she responded annoyed, "I'd be grateful if you both went with Lt. Brown and helped get the wounded away."

"This can't wait," the Doctor said.

Tegan shot onto her feet, "It'll have to wait. I have two dozen troops and eight wounded to get out of here before we are attacked along with everything we can carry. If you want to help, go with Lt. Brown. If not get the hell out of my way. This is my turf, you play by my rules or you leave. Its not as if you haven't done enough damage already!" she snapped.

"I ..." the Doctor started.

"I haven't got time for this!" Tegan snapped and stormed off down a black tunnel.

Turlough looked at the Doctor's hurt face and then ran after her. He found her in a small room looking through the weapons.

It was half the size of the main area. Racks for weaponry covered every inch of the walls, only a small section by the door actually contained anything though. The racks were made from scraps of old salvaged metal, some badly buckled.

Behind the racks the walls were the same dark grey. Tegan stood at a table covered in guns and spare parts. "Am I interrupting?" Turlough asked.

"Yes, but don't' let it stop you," she answered checking the power packs of the nearest gun.

"I know you have a lot on your mind with the Daleks and everything. I know it must have been hard for you being here," he said.

"I assume there is a point to this conversation," Tegan said coldly.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we found you, I really am. The Doctor missed you a lot, he was so miserable after you left. Don't do this to him now. The way you act, what you say and do. Its hurting him. I can see that and I think you can too!" Turlough said.

"Did you ever stop to think that just his presence here is hurting me?" Tegan asked.

"I guess not," she said as she saw his face.

"What happened to you here?" he asked.

"What hasn't happened to me the past six years!" she exclaimed, "Torture, imprisonment, near death countless times, battle after battle etc. etc.!"

"The Doctor had nothing to do with that, you chose to stay in this place," he commented.

"I lost some one very dear to me and its all the Doctors fault!" she snapped.

"Who?" Turlough insisted.

"A great man, the old Commander of the resistance." Tegan said.

"You are living in a war zone, people die." he said.

"He was my husband!" she replied.

"Oh" he said, everything starting to become clear to him.

"So don't tell me I'm hurting him. Don't tell me I was missed. I don't care about that or either of you. I never want to see any of his faces again. I just want my husband back!" she shouted.

Turlough didn't answer. There wasn't anything to say. He'd have to get back to the Doctor and let him know what was going on. Try and form a plan of action between them.

Tegan forced herself to calm down. If there was an attack now, she'd be useless if she stayed that angry. It would more than likely get her killed and others.

Although she longed for death, she couldn't leave her troops without her specialist knowledge of the Daleks. They'd never survive this war without her.

Turlough turned to leave."Wait, you'd better take this," she said offering him a cloth wrapped parcel.

He turned back, "What is it?"

"A basic survival kit. All my troops carry them everywhere they go, even in bed. Never know when a Dalek raid will happen, they don't stick to a nine 'til five day!

"That contains a basic first aid kit, couple of bombs, water and dried food. Enough to keep you alive for a few days if you get trapped somewhere. If you are trapped longer than that, you'll probably be dead before you run out of food. The Daleks check the rubble with Spiders, every few days," she answered.

"Very compact," he commented.

"Has to be. If you are carrying that around all day, with weapons too, then you need something light and small" Tegan answered, "Take one of the bags to put it in. Grab a gas mask and some weapons too. When the attack comes you'll need to protect yourself. Please make sure that the Doctor gets the same, I need him alive. Although that will be hard when he constantly wants to be a hero!"

She shoved a fresh survival kit into her own bag and collected another gun from the rack.

An alarm bell sounded loudly overhead.

"Do I want to know what that is?" Turlough asked nervously. In all his time travelling with the Doctor he'd learnt that alarm bells ringing means big trouble most of the time!

"Something I was hoping to never hear again," Tegan answered, "Dalek attack. The base has been breached!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven.

When Tegan reached the large central area she discovered a raging war zone.

The Doctor and Turlough appeared out of nearby tunnels a few seconds later. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Turlough offering the Doctor his bag of supplies. And then refusal of the gun.

"Doctor, take the gun now! I know you don't like weapons, but this isn't the time. You have no idea how much more powerful these Daleks have become. I'm not carrying your body out of here in a box. I've done that with enough people already," Tegan ordered.

The Doctor took the weapon, and when no one was looking. Dropped it behind a crate.

Lt. Brown appeared out of nowhere. "There are six soldiers left, plus us," he said.

She nodded, trying not to think how many that meant she'd lost from this group. It was too much to take in. A Dalek went passed them firing at a young girl. Tegan instinctively raised her gun and fired at it twice.

Nothing happened.

"They've shielded again. Our weapons are useless!" she exclaimed.

"Gas," the Doctor whispered, pointing to a canister that had been dropped by a Dalek.

"Poison gas," Tegan remarked in shock as the smell came her way.

"What do we do?" Lt. Brown asked.

Tegan wasn't sure. "Masks on quickly, head for the back tunnel ,move!" she ordered, trying to sound surer of herself than she really was.

Her remaining troops obeyed, but the Doctor and Turlough stayed where they were. "What are you planning?" The Doctor asked softly.

"To run," she answered, carefully placing two of the small silver bombs on the floor.

"You'd better too," Tegan warned grabbing each of them and pushing them towards the back wall with its hidden escape tunnel.

There was a young child coughing, by the entrance way. It was a boy, hardly more than 12 years old. He'd lost his mask. She grabbed one off of a nearby corpse and gave it to him.

An older boy of about 16 was also coughing badly. There were no more spare masks. Out of desperation, Tegan ripped off her own and gave it to him. "Get going!" she told her old friends, but they ignored her again.

She waited while the young man took a few deep breaths and then pulled him sharply onto his feet. The Doctor took him off of her and started off up the tunnel slowly.

Tegan pulled more bombs from her belt and threw them down the tunnel. "They won't find Main Base now," she muttered as the tunnel erupted in a ball of fire and the roof collapsed. She followed the others up the passageway. There was still a lot of poison gas around. It was already affecting her.

A few more minutes and she'd be unconscious. A few more minutes after that and she'd be dead. Tegan knew that she would be. She'd studied the poison before and seen friends die from the effects. She knew that she'd have to move fast, but she was already coughing badly and could hardly breathe. Her lungs felt like they were lined with lead!

"Are you all right?" the Doctor asked, dropping back level with her.

"No, get him out of here!" Tegan said looking at the boy he was still dragging.

Turlough had also dropped back, he took the child and hurried up the tunnel leaving them to argue it out. He figured it was far safer.

"Take my mask," the Doctor offered.

"No, they need you far more than they need me!" Tegan said staggering blindly ahead.

She tripped on a stone and hit the ground hard, coughing again. She hadn't the strength to get up again. She would die in that tunnel. The Doctor pulled her up and forced the mask onto her face. Tegan weakly tried to pull it back off, but he was far too strong. "You'll be all right. I promise," he said helping her up the passage.

Tegan smiled to herself. Even after all this time, he wouldn't leave a friend behind willingly. Not if there was anything he could do to prevent it. Even more so after losing Adric and nearly Nyssa too.

They reached a thick metal door. It was closed and there was no sign of an opening switch. The Doctor dropped her carefully onto the ground and pounded on the door.

Tegan pulled off her mask and started coughing. The Doctor dived over and tried to make her put it back on. "They are storm doors to block out the gas" she said, "I need to use the code."

Tegan tried to get up, back weakly fell back against the wall. "Tell me what to do," the Doctor insisted.

"Help me over there," she asked. The Doctor obeyed. She studied the door. "Oh this is useless. I can't see anything!" Tegan muttered. There was too much blinding gas in the tunnel.

"Tell me what to press," the Doctor asked.

"Look for the small squared panel around eye height. Do you see it?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Hit the fourth square from the left, two rows down."

The door swung open as soon as he pressed the button. She saw Turlough's worried face behind the door as he dragged them inside.

They were separated. The Doctor went one way with Turlough and the teenager. She heard the door lock firmly behind her. Lt. Brown took her arm and gently helped her to a bed. She gratefully fell onto it and dropped the mask onto the floor.

Tegan must have dozed off for a short while. She was only hazily aware of people rushing around her and to other nearby beds. Something very cold brushed her arm and then there was a sharp pain. Almost at once Tegan felt her head clearing. There was another sharp pain in her neck.

She opened her eyes and looked around herself. Lt. Brown was hovering around. "Welcome back to the land of the living!" he said cheerfully.

"What happened? The gas?" Tegan asked.

"While we were going on all those raids some one here at main base found a way to counteract the poison if taken soon enough. It was untested, but I didn't think you'd complain," he answered.

"Thank you Steve," Tegan said with a warm smile.

"I wasn't going to lose you like that," he answered and gave her a his shoulder she noticed that Turlough was looking very worried nearby. She pulled away from Steve.

"What's wrong?" Tegan asked.

"Its the Doctor. He collapsed after bringing you in. The medic thinks he is dying," Turlough answered.

Lt. Brown glared at him. "You weren't supposed to tell her that until she was stronger. Now she won't rest!" he complained.

"Damn right I won't!" she said getting up. She looked down the room for the right bed. At the far end of the large medical complex she could see a blonde head and a Panama hat.

She pelted down to his side. The Doctor looked very pale. There were no medic's in sight so Tegan examined him herself, grabbing a stray stethoscope. "Breathing shallow. Both hearts faint. Pulse almost undetected," she muttered to herself.

The machine attached to the Doctor's arm started admitting a long, low wailing sound. Tegan checked him again, both hearts had stopped. "Give him adrenaline," Turlough demanded looking for a needle.

"I can't!" she complained, "His biochemistry is so different to humans. If a simple aspirin can kill him, who knows what adrenaline will do!"

"What about mouth to mouth?" he asked.

"Not with his respiratory system and our shock pads are broken." Tegan answered.

"We can't just let him die!" he shouted.

Tegan grabbed his shirt front tightly, "I'm doing my best, Turlough" she ordered.

He struggled, "That's not good enough!"

Annoyed she brought her knee up sharply into tender flesh. He yelped in pain, "Calm down and let me work please," she said softly. "I am doing my best!. She was getting rather emotional herself now.

A medic finally arrived. "There is nothing we can do, he's gone," she said.

"There was to be something we can do. Something I'm not thinking of," she insisted.

"I'm sorry Commander, but he is gone," the medic insisted.

That was the final straw. Tegan exploded. "What would you know!" she demanded, "You are a first month medic. I have far more experience than you!"

"That might be true Commander, but that doesn't change that fact that this man is dead. I can't work miracles. No one can!" the medic answered.

"You should have seen him in his prime. The Doctor worked many miracles," she said, in tears now.

"There are others who need me now. You should rest now. Raids need to be planned. We can't manage without you," the medic said.

"Get out of here now!" Tegan snapped.

The medic ran.

For all her arguments lately, Tegan still cared a great deal for her old friend. " Why do you always have to be the hero, Doc?" she asked, "You could have buddied the mask!"

"Like you did with the young man?" Turlough asked.

"That was different. I am Commander. He saved my life before, I owed him," she answered.

"Maybe the Doctor figured he owed you as well," Turlough suggested, "He has been blaming himself for you leaving. Unlike you he missed his old friends!"

"I missed him every day for five years!" Tegan snapped, her tears flowing freely now.

"You have a strange way of showing it," Turlough muttered walking away. The Doctor was dead, there was nothing he could do about it. Without him, the TARDIS was useless, he'd never be able to get home. Right now he couldn't bare to be anywhere near the Commander right now.

"Don't leave me now Doctor please, I need you. I couldn't stand it if you died because of me!" she sobbed hugging his body.

Lt. Brown touched her shoulder, "There is nothing you could have done differently. You have to let him go and get some rest before you end up the same way," he insisted.

She ignored him. Her face brushed against something soft. She sat up and looked at the object. It was the piece of celery that was always pinned to the Doctor's jacket.

Tegan laughed and placed the stick under his nose. Broke off a small piece and placed it in his mouth, massaging it down his throat.

"What good is that?" Steve asked.

"He once told me that celery is a very powerful restorative for Time Lords. Its worth a try, anything is," she answered.

They waited a few minutes, but nothing happened.

"Too late," Tegan muttered, "If only I'd thought of it sooner!"

Still crying she disappeared quietly into a small ante room of supplies nearby as Medic's came crowding around to remove the body. Hoping that she wouldn't be found for a very long time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight.**

_The last thing the Doctor remembered was getting Tegan to safety. He'd lost one companion this regeneration, and come close to losing another. He wouldn't allow it to happen again, not to Tegan or anyone else. If he couldn't protect his companions, then he'd travel alone in future. It was something he'd considered after Adric died, but he couldn't abandon Nyssa and Tegan like that. They needed him, or was it he that needed them?_

_ The Doctor was in a coma like state now, while his body repaired itself. The toxins from the gas had shut his system down. They should have killed him, but something had happened in the outside world. He wasn't quite sure what. It could be hours or even days before everything was repaired._

_ At least while his body was being repaired, his mind was free to ponder on the problems of Earth and the Daleks. The creatures had clearly developed far more quickly than he'd expected. Had Davros escaped the ship's destruction and returned to improve the Daleks abilities? Or had they come back from a much later time period to take over Earth in this time frame?_

_ As the Doctor thought more, he started to wonder why here and why now? The mineral deposits on Earth could be taken from any time frame of any one of a hundred planets. Slave labour forces could be taken from any humanoid race. In fact Earthlings were among the weakest slave labour races in the universe. Why go for a human with one pair of arms, when there were stronger races with four or six limbs? _

_ There must be something the Daleks wanted though, but what? Was it just a coincidence that they were back in London just a few years after his last visit. The clones hadn't worked, but he'd never discovered why they were placing all the clones on Earth. _

_ Once he awoke, there were many questions he would have to ask Tegan, as Commander of the resistance she must have some idea of what the Daleks were doing! _

_ Not being able to pursue the problem of the Daleks any further, the Doctor decided to try his secondary problem: Tegan herself and how to deal with her ... _


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Lt. Brown discovered Tegan hiding in the supply room much later on.

"The entertainment is about to start Commander, are you coming to watch?" he asked.

"A close friend of mine just died, somehow I don't feel like a party," she answered softly drying her tears.

"You mean that weirdly dressed guy that came in with you?" he asked.

Tegan nodded, "We were friends years ago before I came to be what I am now. He was our only chance of winning this war."

"Tegan, I'm so sorry," Lt. Brown said.

"Thank you," she answered softly.

"No, its not that," he said, "The Doctor is alive. He started breathing soon after you left. Little weak, but he'll survive. I've been looking for you ever since!"

Tegan smiled and then laughed. "I should have known it would take more than that to kill the Doctor. He's survived falling from a great height, bad regeneration, the Black Guardian, Daleks, Cybermen, Sea Devils, Silurians, the Black Death and millions of other things already!" she remarked.

They hugged for a moment. Steve stroked her hair gently. "Still want to stay here?" he asked.

"I think I'll join the entertainment after all," she said.

"Thought you might," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you," Tegan whispered.

"Did you really think I'd leave you grieving alone, after last time?" he asked.

"You are a good friend to me, Steve," she smiled.

Steve took her arm and they walked to the main area together. It was a large space, big enough to house several spacious curtained off areas, behind which weapons and simple box seats were stored. The largest area was filled with seats and people relaxing and eating.

The old Commander had thought communal off duty areas were vital for morale. After all the raids she'd been through, Tegan agreed. The walls were cut out straight out of the ground, she had no idea how the bases had been created. There must have been some seriously heavy duty machines to build them!

Around the top of the walls were strings of glowing lights, trying to give an air of space and light open spaces. It didn't work very well, but at least they could see!

Several tunnels and rooms cut off of this area, those were unlit for safety. Glow sticks were kept near every entrance. Most people managed in the dark, knowing the tunnels by heart.

Facing the seating area, a slightly raised platform had been pulled out and the young man she'd helped save in the tunnel was singing.

"Harry, we rescued him from a prison ship a few weeks ago. You weren't on that raid," Lt. Brown commented.

Harry finished his song and stepped down. The young medic Tegan had snapped at was next. "Are you coming?" Steve asked as she slipped away from him.

"Not right now, I want to change my clothes first. Its my turn for middle act, so I'll disappear until that's over," she answered.

He smiled. The middle act were terrible singers. Everyone tried to avoid singing with them. Unluckily it was Commander's duty to act with them once a month. Tegan normally found a way out of it though.

"Take care little one," Steve said.

"If you do, lofty," she teased.

"You dare to call me lofty?" he asked, in feigned annoyance.

"What you gonna do about it, lofty?" Tegan asked.

Steve grabbed her around the waist as she tried to nip passed him and tickled her. Tegan laughed, so he put her down.

"Don't be too long," he said.

"Only long enough to miss middle act, I promise," she smiled.

"You'd better hurry then," Steve commented, noticing that they were getting ready off 'stage'.

"Bye, lofty!" Tegan called, giggling as she ran off.

The Doctor smiled in his hiding place. It was good that Tegan had some good friends. From what Turlough had been telling him, she'd been through a lot. He had wanted to speak with her, but decided it could wait until she'd got changed. He disappeared back into the crowd to find Turlough.

Elsewhere Tegan had reached her sleeping area and found her curtained off bed space. It was simple. A pallet bed, wash basket, small clothes chest, small mirror and a small box for personal items. There was also a rack to store her weapons and raid items on. It was all she really needed.

She slowly and carefully peeled off her chocolate brown clothes so she wouldn't hurt her bruises, and dumped them in the wash basket. Checked her clothes chest. It was mainly stocked with the basic shirts, jackets and trousers she'd been wearing. All of which were badly patched and worn. Not that she could complain in her line of work.

Tucked down the bottom she discovered a tight leather skirt and white top with red and black slashes of colour. They were the clothes she'd been wearing the day she'd left the TARDIS's relative safety forever. The black high heels sat by the outfit.

She sighed. Leaving that day was the worst thing she'd ever done. She'd hurt the Doctor so badly. The time seemed right to her. After the horrors she'd seen that day. She should have waited. The Doctor had been right, she couldn't leave like that. But she had, and regretted it almost ever since.

Pushing the clothes to one side she found a knee length black velvet dress which looked new. It had been her husband's favourite. He'd given it to her on their wedding day. The cloth had been expensive. Specially dyed.

He'd then spent days carefully stitching the cloth into the gorgeous dress she was holding. It was beautiful, she adored the way it went down her leg on one side in a Spanish style. She'd looked wonderful in it when she danced.

Tegan had hidden it the day she'd lost him and never worn it since. For some reason she felt that she finally wanted to wear it again. As a tribute to her dead lover. She had to finally get over his death and stop blaming the Doctor for what had happened. Unluckily that was harder then she'd ever imagined it could be.

Tegan sighed and pulled on the dress and admired herself in the dirty, old, cracked mirror. Her tangled hair looked terrible. She spent ages combing the knots out gently, which seemed to take forever and a day.

She found her old box of make up and looked through it. She didn't feel like going to the hassle of putting any on, so dropped it back into her personal belongings chest.

This time when Tegan looked in the mirror she smiled. She almost looked like her old self. As if the last five years or so had been taken away, as she'd wished they could be, so many times before.

For the finishing touch she dragged her hair back into a large clip. For a moment she wished her husband was there to see her. Tegan looked the way she had on their first anniversary. The last night they had ever spent together.

Tegan pushed the painful memory aside and for the first time realised that someone was standing by her curtain watching her every move. She wondered how long they'd been there.

"Hello Tegan," the figure said.

"Hi Turlough," she replied recognising the voice.

"The Doctor is weak, but alive. I thought you should know," he said.

"Lt. Brown told me a little while ago. I'd been worried," Tegan said picking at a few strands of stray hair escaping the clip.

"Don't sound so happy!" Turlough snapped.

Tegan duck around the curtain to talk to him, but the room was empty. He'd moved fast. She sighed, couldn't seem to say anything right. Sadly she went to see what the entertainment was.

As she entered main area she realised that everyone was watching her. They'd all noticed that she was wearing the dress after so long. Tegan was so nervous that she nearly walked back out again.

Steve almost ran up to her, "You look wonderful!" he said.

"Thanks," she said, smiling shyly.

"Will you dance for us?" he asked quietly.

Tegan hesitated. She'd danced a long time ago to entertain everyone. She'd stopped when she'd lost her husband. In fact Tegan had stopped almost everything expect fighting. It was the only way she'd discovered to release all the pain and rage she'd felt at the time.

She nodded. She'd done enough nasty things to her friends today, now it was time to make up for it all! It was time to change. Time to let everything go. Time to try and make amends. Because if the Doctor couldn't think of anything, soon they'd all be dead!

Steve waited as she kicked off her black high heels, which after nearly a year, she could hardly walk in! And then helped her onto the platform stage.

The room fell silent within seconds of her standing there. "Attention friends. We are in for a rare treat. Our Commander has agreed to dance for us tonight." he the first time Tegan wondered if this was really a good idea as everyone sat down to watch her perform.

The music started softly.

Realising it was far too late now to change her mind, Tegan started to dance. The steps she hadn't even thought about in so long came flooding back to her.

The music grew louder and faster as Steve changed the records. It didn't matter to her. The perfect timing she'd always had was rediscovered. She leapt and spun, doing every step perfectly.

After a few moments the music had taken her over, just like old times. The people grew dim. All that mattered was the dancing and her music. All too soon the music ended. Tegan felt annoyed for a second that it had ended. But a few moments later she realised how tired she felt and how out of breath.

She realised also how many people were watching her and nodding. Every single one knowing and completely understanding how much strength it had taken just to get back up on that stage again.

The whole crowd stood and clapped as hard as they could, including two very familiar faces! She'd have to do something about them in a moment, but right now Lt. Brown was holding out one of their basic, home made microphones to her.

"You want me to sing as well?" she asked, taking it from him.

"Any song you want to do," Steve suggested.

Tegan thought desperately for any song she knew all the words to still. Her mind had gone totally blank.

One song finally floated to the front of her mind. A doubly perfect one. It would be a fitting tribute to her husband as well as her friends.

'How do I live, without you' was the song. She knew the words by heart. It was one of her favourites. Sung it most nights at the start of the entertainment. Her husband had insisted.

Trying to keep her mind off her dead love, Tegan began to sing. Her voice hadn't lost its power in its rest.

How do I?

Get through a night without you.

If I had to live without you,

What kind of life would that be?

Oh I,

Need you in my arms.

Need you to hold.

You're my world,

My heart.

My soul.

If you ever leave,

Baby, you would take away everything

Good in my life.

And tell me now.

How do I live without you?

I ought to do I breathe without you,

If you were to go

How do I ever,

Ever

Survive.

How do I?

How do I?

Oh, how do I live?

Without you ...

"I never knew that Tegan sang," Turlough commented from his seat in the back of the room.

"She told us herself that she'd learnt a lot of things in six years," the Doctor said sitting down next to him, "I'm just relieved that not everything was survival training and battle tactics!"

Tegan had finished singing now. She got a second round of applause when she finished, most people remembering the reasons behind the song. The rest guessing them.

"Thank you," she said as the clapping died down.

"I know its been a while since I stood here. I think you all know why," she said.

Several people near the front nodded.

"I hope that from now on I will be accepted up here a little more often," Tegan said.

There was a deafening cheer.

"Please don't. I haven't done anything to deserve that," Tegan objected, "I'm not proud of everything I've done today."

The crowd grew still again, waiting. Her friends were watching more closely. She noticed the Doctor smile at her reassuringly. She smiled back without thinking. "I recently rediscovered two old friends here in London. I wasn't nice to them though, and we argued over what I realise now were just silly things," she started.

"I can't ask my friends to forgive me. I just hope they understand that I didn't mean what I said before. I'd like to explain why I acted like I did, but I'd understand if you didn't want to speak to me again. I've blamed you for things that happened when you weren't even here," Tegan continued.

The Doctor appeared to be ignoring her, he was playing with his cricket ball. Throwing it up in and air and catching it again. She wasn't fooled, he could concentrate on a million things at once. If not more.

"There is only one thing I can say. Doctor, Turlough for what its worth, I'm sorry," Tegan finished.

When she looked again, both her friends were gone. Her words hadn't made any difference. she sighed and gave her microphone to Steve.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Nothing, it appears," Tegan said softly.

"Grab something to eat and rest," he suggested.

"I'll try to rest for a little while, but I have a lot to do," she answered.

"What ever it is can wait to the morning," he insisted.

"Not with one base all ready lost," Tegan replied, "Any more survivors come through portals?"

"Not as far as I know," Steve said.

"I'll go check," she said.

"Don't ruin your pretty dress!" he warned.

Tegan smiled in response and left to check the file of signed in soldiers.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten.

A few more soldiers had been signed in, but not that many. Tegan wondered if the book had been updated fully. Most of the time it wasn't. There was rarely a chance.

The death book also needed updating. That meant looking through all the dead bodies for any personal objects or identifying marks to discover who they were. Tegan decided that chore could wait until much later on. She'd had enough death already, for one night. She needed to escape it for one evening, and relax with her troops and friends.

She sneaked back into the main area to watch the performances. Sat on a box right at the back of the room and tried to pretend that she wasn't really there. Often her troops wouldn't enjoy themselves so much if they knew that the Commander was hanging around watching.

After a few minutes, Tegan could here someone sneaking up behind her. She drew her combat knife from her belt slowly, instinctively, and swung around, ready to use it on her enemy.

"May I sit here?" the Doctor asked gently.

Tegan lowered her blade and moved over slightly, to make enough room for him too.

"I don't think you need the knife," he said, sitting down.

She blushed and put it away. "Sorry, old habits. You know the story."

"I saw you on the stage. I didn't know that you danced," he commented.

"I didn't dance when I knew you. I took it up soon after settling here, but I gave it up a while ago," Tegan answered.

"I thought you only learned skills important to your survival?" he taunted.

"What can I say?" Tegan asked with a shrug, "I had a free afternoon!"

"What made you give up your dancing?" the Doctor asked.

"I lost my husband in a raid. After that it just seemed pointless. Anyway I had enough to do taking over as Commander," she said.

"Turlough said something about your husband's death being my fault," he said carefully.

Tegan wasn't sure how to answer him. Long minutes passed by while she thought. "I guess I did blame you. I always thought that if you'd stayed here with me, he wouldn't have died. You would have found a way to save him, that I didn't. It was either blame you or myself.

"You see, I froze up. Something I never thought possible, I'd been through all the training. The Daleks had gone to ground, we thought they were gone. Clearly we'd made a mistake, and my husband paid for our naivety," she admitted, "Blaming you, I guess it was a stupid thing to do, but it was the only way I could cope with it. Having to take over everything and overnight become responsible for hundreds of lives. I don't know how he coped with it all."

"Maybe because, like you, he had no choice?"

"Possibly at first, but he enjoyed what he did. Not the battles and the deaths, but the Prison ship raids. Saving what was left of a human mind and rehabilitating it back into a person instead of an expendable slave worker."

"I can only imagine what you've had to go through," the Doctor commented.

"I'm sorry that I blamed you, can you ever forgive me?" she asked.

"Are we going to be friends again?" he asked.

Tegan smiled, "Could we be anything else?" she asked.

"Well, I wouldn't want you as an enemy. You know too much about me," the Doctor joked.

"If I say anything else horrible, I don't mean it. Its just, I never really got over my loss. There was never time, grief always had to take second place to battle tactics." she said.

The Doctor nodded. "Thank you, for saving my life earlier."

Tegan shrugged, "Only fair. You saved mine at least twice today!"

"How did you know to use the celery?" the Doctor asked, "I never told you about its healing properties."

"Come to think of it, I don't remember you telling me about it!" Tegan said, "Something just told me that it was the right thing to do."

"Maybe you read my mind," he joked, hiding his inner worries. How could she have known? Was she under something's influence after all?

"Oh, neat new skill. Mind reading," Tegan said, "I know a few people I'd enjoy trying that on!"

They both laughed.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"This is Main Base, I'd give you a tour, but its not really worth it. The communal area you've seen already. The rest is work stations, beds and storage places, the Morgue and hospital wing. After a raid, you really don't want to have to visit either of those! Bodies everywhere, some dead already, some nearly.

"This is built underneath Southwark Park, and possibly a few streets either side. I've never mapped out to see just how large it is. The Commander built it long before I came here, or even heard of the resistance group. I had a less interesting career, although almost as dangerous!"

"I wonder where Lt. Brown is" she muttered looking around, hoping he wouldn't ask her old job. Too embarrassing. If she told him about that, there would be other things she'd have to tell about too, things she wanted to leave buried.

"He's busy, told me to keep an eye on you. Make sure that you had some fun tonight," he answered.

"I have battle plans to make. Countless small bases to contact. Weapon's to adjust. Death records to update. The hospital to visit. Dozens of people to tell that their loved ones have died. New code words to develop and the other million and one things I have to do as Commander" she commented, "There is no time to spare!"

"You aren't alone Tegan, you have friends. Let them do some of the work." he insisted.

She shook her head, "These things are only allowed to be done by me or Lt. Brown. He needs a rest even more than I do, it'll be better if I do it."

"I'd like to help" the Doctor said.

"Can you use a radio, without taking it apart for spares to build one of your usual last minute alien devices?" she asked.

"I'll try," he said dryly, not missing his friend's sarcasm.

"This way then" Tegan said, "I could use a second pair of hands."

She lead him through the long, twisting, dark tunnels as quickly as possible. Tegan had no torch, and the Doctor couldn't see more than a few inches in front of his face.

"How do you know where you are going in this?" he asked.

She stopped. "I'm sorry, I've got used to the dark. I could find my way around blindfolded!"

She took a light stick from her belt and snapped it. An eerie greenish glow shone from it as she passed it to her friend.

"If you ever got lost, check the walls," Tegan suggested. She guided his hand, so that the light shone on the wall around eye height. He saw a large red arrow painted on the rock face, pointing the way they'd come.

"These arrows are in every tunnel and show the way back to the main area. Follow any one for long enough and you'll get there," Tegan said.

They continued in silence for another dozen passageways.

"Are we going much further?" he asked as the glowing stick gave out.

She pressed the wall to reveal a secret door and lead him inside.

There was a large room the other side, filled with all kinds of basic radio equipment and scraps of old electrical devices. She switched on the nearest radio and tested it.

"What do I have to do?" the Doctor asked.

"Where is that girl?" Tegan muttered, "If she is kissing with her boyfriend down the tunnel again, instead of working, I'll kill her!"

"What should she be doing?" the Doctor asked.

"Radioing all the bases to give them a coded message. I've lost one base, the others need to be called in for safety," she answered.

"Would you mind taking over?" she asked.

The Doctor sat down and looked at the primitive radio system.

"Don't complain, we haven't the time or materials to improve our radio systems," Tegan said.

She dug out the code book and checked up some words. "All the bases are marked. Our call sign is simple, Base 23. When they ask for a verification code, you answer Rassilon. Our orders are Dream team to camp, through the dream route before it closes."

"Rassilon?" the Doctor asked.

"How are the Daleks going to know that phrase?" she asked with a smile.

A young girl walked into the room repairing her lipstick in a small mirrored compact. Her clothes were different to everyone else's. The material was the same, but she'd made her own, personal modifications. The vest top had the bottom sections hacked off to form a cropped top, the top of which had been slit into an extremely low cut V neck, showing a great deal of her mammoth 'personality'.

The trousers had been unpicked at the seems and re-stitched to be skin tight. Over the top was a loose fitting shirt, which she pulled across her chest, to hide the slashed vest, when Lt. Brown or anyone in charge walked passed. Knowing she'd be in a great deal of trouble if discovered! The clothes were designed loose for ease of movement on raids. Fighting in her tight and revealing clothes would have been difficult if not impossible!

"Sub-lieutenant Claire Johnson!" Tegan shouted, instantly dropping back into her quite vicious Commander role.

The girl looked up guiltily and hid her make up. "Where were you?" Tegan demanded.

"I was called away, Commander," Claire replied.

"Kissing your boyfriend down the tunnel?" she asked.

Claire went red, "No harm was done!" she insisted.

"No harm?" Tegan asked, "Do you have any idea what has happened today?"

Claire shook her head. "I've been gone for a few hours," she admitted.

"One base has fallen, near Clements Road. Dozens of people have been murdered. The Daleks are hot on our trail, we don't have long left. Because of your stupidity more bases and countless lives could have been lost!" the Commander snapped.

"I'm sorry, Commander."

"Do you think sorry covers it?" Tegan asked, still furious.

The girl shook her head.

"If just one more base is taken, the Daleks can find their way back to us. Not every tunnel can be bombed without risking the collapse of this base!" she explained carefully.

"Have we lost that many?"

Tegan nodded, "Get back to work, Lt. Brown will punish you both in the morning. For the disappearance and those clothes. How do you suggest you fight in that?"

"Yes Commander," she said hanging her head, "My orders please?"

"Standard Dream code," was the reply.

"That will bring everyone here. We'll be slaughtered!" Claire objected.

That was the last straw for her Commander.

"You are just a Sub-lieutenant, I am Commander. I choose your orders, not you. Get used to it!" she snapped, " If you question orders one more time or go AWOL again, you will be stripped of rank and imprisoned!"

Claire sullenly sat down and started to get her radio sorted out.

The Doctor looked up, he'd heard the whole argument. Tegan was being hard on her troops, although he wondered if she had a choice. Her main worries seemed to still be keeping everyone alive. What she'd said to him in the TARDIS would confirm that.

He wondered how the strain of command was effecting Tegan, she had enough loss to cope with as it was.

She noticed that he was watching her so closely. "Don't fuss!" she mouthed, before checking on Sub-lieutenant Johnson, who was still unhappy. Thinking the Commander had left she'd pulled back out her compact and started smearing on more powder. Caking her face in the stuff.

The Commander was furious now. She felt the white hot glowing rage rise up inside her, that she'd been holding in for a long time. Trying to keep it for a raid, to channel it the most productive way she could. This time there would be no holding back!

Tegan slapped the make up from the girls hand. It landed on the floor, where she drove her spiked heels deeply into the compact. She didn't stop until it was completely mangled and smashed.

She picked up the mess and threw it at the girl. "Next time, this will be you!" she warned.

Claire glared at her Commander, wishing she dared say something.

"Behave yourself, stupid child!" Tegan warned.

Claire stood up, "I don't have to take this from you. The only reason that you are Commander is because you killed your husband!"

Tegan punched her, breaking the girl's nose and throwing her backwards across the table. "Get out, before I kill you!" she snapped.

The girl ran.

"Daleks killed my husband!" she said softly.

"Tegan?" the Doctor asked just as quietly. Instantly at her side.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. Or I will be ...I need to do some work. I'll be next door. Call me if there is a problem."

Tegan couldn't get out of the room fast enough. Knocking piles of broken radio equipment from a table as she went.

Next door was full of shelves covered in the same kind of electrical junk as before. There was a large workbench across one end. She spent a lot of her spare time there mucking about with her husbands plans and inventions.

As soon as she'd pulled the curtain across behind her, Tegan was fighting tears. Taking a few deep breaths, she managed to control her feelings once again. She was used to bottling up her emotions, if she didn't she'd be dead by now.

To take her mind off the evil words of Claire Johnson, she pulled out a box of oddly shaped micro-chips and started fitting them into the pile of guns. Mentally thinking of all the different ways she'd like to kill her. Her personal favourite was solitary on a Prison Ship, that would destroy what little mind she had before death.

Tegan knew exactly what solitary was like, six months in there had nearly killed her. Claire was young, naive. Never been on a raid, always working in the base. She hadn't even completed her basic training yet, probably never would, so empty headed. Tegan, Lt. Brown and most of the other members of the Resistance group had been through several other survival courses, each one more difficult and painful. Claire would never reach those.

The girl hadn't even been in the hospital, hated the sight of blood. Had no idea what kind of state troops could come back in. Claire had been protected from the horrors facing life on Earth for too long. Tegan would send her on the next raid, with protective soldiers. She wouldn't die, but it would change her point of view. If Claire was left as she was now, she'd be a wild card. Dangerous to them all.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven,

By the time the Doctor was able to check in on Tegan she'd just finished the pile of weapons. "What have you been doing?" he asked.

"Modifying our weapons hopefully," she answered putting away her tools, "You saw what happened this morning. The Daleks have a form of shielding. They upgrade it from time to time, making our weapon's useless. I was expecting another change, Steve had got the chips ready for me."

"Lt. Brown has sent me with a message for you. He wants you to eat something now," the Doctor said, "Personally I think you should rest too. A lot of things have happened to you today."

"There isn't time. I have to go over the next attack plan with everyone. We need to hit them fast while they think we are weak. They'll find this base soon, won't take that long to decrypt our key codes and find other bases," she muttered, turning her concentration to a pile of papers.

"As a concerned friend, I am insisting that you at least take an hour to rest and eat!" he said firmly.

Tegan was sorting through some papers still. She found a large brown folder and offered it to the Doctor. "That is the file on Spider Dalek poison, I promised you earlier."

"Did you even hear what I said?" he asked taking the file.

"I promise I'll eat after I've arranged the raid," she said.

"No, now!" the Doctor insisted. He grabbed her arm and lead her into the tunnel.

"Were you always this stubborn?" she asked.

"I had to be with you Tegan, you never listened to a word I said!" he exclaimed.

"Normally what you said led us to being captured and/or in deadly peril!" she said with a smile.

"Which you had normally managed to run off and discover by yourself!" he retorted.

"I wasn't the only one, all your companion's I've met are the same!" Tegan laughed.

The Doctor stopped, "Who have you met?" he asked suspiciously.

"I got Time Scooped with you to the Death Zone remember?" Tegan asked, hoping to get out of the stupid slip. She couldn't let him know what she'd done. Not yet anyway.

"How could I forget?" he asked, "Our peaceful holiday ruined!" Seeming to sense she was hiding something from him still, but letting it pass for now.

"You are not capable of a relaxing holiday Doctor, it would drive you crazy!" she pointed out.

"True!" he muttered, picking a tunnel at random to go down.

Tegan allowed her friend to lead her down the corridor for a few minutes more. She ran her fingers over a wall to check where they were, as he picked another random tunnel. "Doctor?" she asked.

"Mm?" he asked, trying to choose a tunnel from yet another forked passageway.

"Where are we going?"

"Back to the Main Area" he replied.

Tegan shook her head and smiled.

"Are you sure?" he pointed to the left fork, "That tunnel leads to an old escape

route behind the bakery in what used to be Camdon Market!"

Then pointing to the right hand tunnel, "This one leads to a ruined bank near Fleet Street!".

"Oh," he muttered.

"Come with me, Doctor!", Tegan pulled him back up to the last multi cross point and pointed to the far passage.

"I was just seeing if you were paying attention!" the Doctor said, striding ahead.

"I'm sure!" she said smiling.

"Come along, Tegan," she heard drifting back down the tunnel.

"You never change, do you Doc?" she whispered, "I only wish that I hadn't."

"Tegan?" he asked again.

She realised that he'd come back to find her. How long had she been standing there?

"I was just thinking, I'm coming," she said.

"What about?" the Doctor asked.

"Lt. Harris, it was his girlfriend you brought in this morning. The girl I had to kill. They were so in love, to be married in just a few days. The ceremony was all prepared. I was kinda looking forward to it, a nice party." Tegan said, "And now I have to tell him that his fiance is dead, I am so looking forward to that!"

"Why did you stop travelling with me?" he asked.

"I couldn't take the death any more. So many people had lost their lives to help me," she answered.

"Is this any different?" the Doctor asked.

Tegan thought for a moment, "When you put it that way, I guess it isn't really."

"Why do you live like this?" he pressed.

"Because this is my life now, Doctor." she explained, "I'm not proud of everything I've done over the years, but I like to believe I have made a difference in these people's lives. My travelling around with you gave me greater knowledge of the Daleks then they ever had. Without that I don't think they would have lasted half this time."

"Maybe Frontios won't have the only survivors of my race. Shows how much difference two minutes can mean." she sighed.

"Two minutes?" the Doctor queried.

"Two minutes longer and I would never have left," she answered, deep in thought.

Tegan looked up, her friend was looking confused. "I came back, Doctor. I heard what you said to Turlough about your past and why you left Gallifrey. It made me realise how silly I was being. I couldn't leave like that, I cared too much to hurt you so badly. I'd been upset, confused, I didn't know what I was saying.

"I came back, just in time to see you leave. All I could do was whisper goodbye. Ever since I've hoped that one day you'd come back and we could start a fresh, but in my heart I always knew it wouldn't happen. That day I made the worse mistake of my life!".

"Come with me," he offered.

"I'd love to," she said, "But I can't, I'm needed here. I was fated to miss you that day, so I could help these people. Even if it all stopped omorrow, I couldn't leave. We need to rebuild the city and our lives again."

"The city won't take long to build" he insisted, "Their lives can go back to normal as soon as the Daleks leave."

"What is normal?" she asked.

The Doctor shrugged.

"Most of my troops are just children. They know nothing but war. Survival rate is so low here, dangerously so, that's why the children fight Some of them were tortured by the Daleks for years. You can't imagine what they were put through. They will need a long time to adapt to a normal life, if ever," Tegan replied.

"You hate it here," he commented.

"No, I hate what the Daleks have done to us. What they turned innocent children into. The lives ruined by their wars and tortures in those horrible prison ships. If you've seen a tenth of what I've seen, you'd understand," she muttered.

"What have you seen?" the Doctor asked softly, pulling her around to face him.

"You don't want to know," she snapped.

Tegan closed her eyes, "You don't ever want to know!" she said more softly.

"Nothing you have seen here, can possibly be worse than what we saw together," he said.

"Yes, it can." was the reply.

She pulled away from him and disappeared into the darkness.

The Doctor sighed, annoyed at himself. Tegan had started to open up at last, and he'd blown it.

"What could be so terrible, she couldn't talk about it?" he wondered out loud.

Breaking one of the light sticks he'd collected from the store room, he followed the arrows up the passageway.

There would be a second chance with Tegan, he'd just have to watch for it carefully. At least this appeared to be something simpler to fix then a piece of the Mara.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve.

When the Doctor finally spotted Tegan, she was with Lt. Brown finalising the attack plans for the next day. Standing on the far side, at the back of Main Area.

"Okay, I think that just about covers it. Brief the others and get the Dream appeal put out one last time. Just incase there are any stragglers who got caught somewhere," he heard Tegan say as he walked up.

"Dream appeal all bases, check," Lt. Brown answered writing it down on his note pad.

"How are we for weapons?" he asked.

"Modifications have been made to all the guns I can find. Yours still needs doing and anyone else who turns up now. Bombs are re-wired. They'll be fine for a while, but I'll start checking up to see what our next design could be. Our weapon's team must have something ready. If not I'll shout at them until they have!" she answered.

"No you won't," the Doctor said firmly, "Time to eat and relax for a while, with everyone else."

"I agree, take her away Doctor, before she starts making plans to rebuild the bases!" Lt. Brown said, "The girl never knows when to stop!"

"Hey, I have things to do!" Tegan insisted.

"I'll take care of them," the Lt. insisted just as firmly.

"According to rule 284, this is borderline mutiny!" she exclaimed.

"Put it this way, what would you do as Commander, if one of your troops acted this way?" the Doctor asked.

"Two against one isn't fair!" Tegan complained.

"I could have you relieved of duty under rule 216. Lets see, Commander unfit for duty. Has to be removed for her own health and safety." Lt. Brown added.

"I give up, I'll take a short break. Then I'll get back to work. Okay?" she asked.

"That's all I ask, little one." Lt. Brown said, "Take her away, before she changes her mind! She wears herself out, but makes everyone else rest!"

The Doctor lead Tegan to an empty box/seat while he fetched them some food. She ate halfheartedly, but her mind was elsewhere. She was jolted to her senses as the Doctor snapped his fingers loudly in front of her face.

Her hand flew to her knife instinctively, ready to fight. "Whats going on?" she demanded.

"I was worried about you. We have been sitting here for over 20 minutes and you have been staring off into thin air for most of that time," he commented.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking," Tegan said dumping her food tray into the bin next to her without bothering to get up, she was too tired to move.

"Thinking about what?" he asked.

"Just Commander related things" she replied.

The Doctor glared at her, he knew when she was lying. Always had.

She sighed, "I was thinking about Paul, my husband."

"Do you want to talk?" he asked.

"Not now. I need to focus for the raid tomorrow. I can't risk losing my concentration. It could cost my life and others. I won't allow that to happen," she answered.

Tegan seemed to notice something or someone across the room, she stood for a better look. He rose also to try and see what was the matter.

"Lt. Harris," she muttered, "He seems so happy. I guess tonight was his Stag Party, I better go. It won't take long, if you want to wait."

"I'll stay right here." the Doctor promised.

Tegan smiled weakly and went over to where Lt. Harris was joking with his friends. They'd curtained off a small area of seating. Paper streamers adorned the walls and everywhere else. She could smell alcohol and wondered briefly where that had been hidden while it fermented.

She stopped by the curtain and waited for him to realise she was there. "Lt. Harris, may I speak to you privately?" Tegan asked.

"Can it wait until later?" he asked, "We're having a party."

"I am sorry, but this is urgent," she replied.

The Lt. put down his half finished meal and followed her into an empty antechamber.

"Its about Private Cole, your fiance." she said.

"Samantha, whats wrong Commander?" he asked worried.

"Joe, I've known you a long time. I think we should drop rank tonight. This is very serious." Tegan said.

"She's hurt isn't she?" he asked.

"Sam was brought in this morning, souped. The internal damage was too much, nothing I could do," she answered.

"Is she still alive? Did you make her stay like that?" he demanded angrily.

"You know I couldn't have done that, Sam was my friend. I killed her. One bullet in the brain, she didn't feel any more pain than she was already in," Tegan said.

"Its what she would have wanted," Joe muttered.

Tegan nodded, "We had a deal. If any of us ended up like that, we wouldn't suffer."

"Is the body still here?" he asked.

"Next door," she answered softly.

He went ahead and took the blanket from Sam's body. It wasn't a pretty sight. He dropped the cloth back down and began to sob. Tegan drew him towards her and held him until the tears ended.

She remembered being like this herself over Paul. Steve had been there for her, without him she never would have survived the pain. Now, a year later it was her turn to help a friend.

"Will you be okay?" she asked as he pulled away.

"I think so," he answered.

"You won't go and do anything stupid, will you?" Tegan asked, "I can have someone keep an eye on you for a while."

"Like you did?" Joe asked.

Tegan lowered her eyes, "Something like that," she whispered.

"I promise," he whispered, "Sorry for bringing that up."

"Its okay, its just that Claire Johnson said something earlier about me killing Paul, it wasn't very nice," she said.

"She is nasty, spent ages trying to break us up," Joe said reaching for his lover's cold hand.

"Don't come on the raid, take it easy for a few days," she said.

He nodded, "Can I be alone?"

"You know where I'll be, if you need someone," she said as she left.

"Yes, I know," he whispered.

Tegan walked back into the main area. The Doctor was still waiting. She saw Turlough go over to him. Trying to read lips, she saw the Doctor asking if he'd seen her. Turlough hadn't and she couldn't face them just now.

Tegan went back to her bed area and changed her pretty dress for normal clothes. Dropping her hair down loose from the clip. Somehow she didn't feel like celebrating any more, or ever again.

Then she went for a walk, collecting her weapon and supplies on the way. She never left without then any more. The only time she had, Paul was killed. Tegan wandered through the tunnels for a long time before she surfaced deep into London ruins. She didn't know where she was going, but she had to get away.

Outside amongst the ruins it was raining lightly. She hadn't seen rain in a long time. There had been a big storm, Tegan could still feel it in the air. It made the air tingly and everything felt very

calm and relaxing.

She walked along to one of her favourite places. It was a blank space on the hillside where she could see for miles on a clear day. It was a beautiful view over fields with the odd ruin here and there. In places some trees still survived. She came here often, mainly when she was troubled. The view helped her think.

Tegan sat on a slab of stone and watched as the last of the rain cleared up and the sun came out. She leaned back on the slab and stretched lazily in the late afternoon sun. It felt good to relax, even if it was only for a few moments.

She could forget everything that plagued her waking hours and just enjoy the feeling of warm sunlight on her bare skin. Tegan closed her eyes and thought of nothing. After a few moments she began to drift off.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen.

Turlough glanced up as he was talking to The Doctor. Across the room, he saw a flash of a black velvet dress and dark hair. "Tegan!" he exclaimed, pointing.

"Where is she going?" the Doctor muttered to himself.

"What was she doing before she left you here?" Turlough asked.

"Going to inform someone that their fiance is dead."

"Maybe it reminded her too strongly of her own recent loss?"

"Turlough, you are amazing!" he exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?" Lt. Brown asked, as he walked passed. Head deep in raid reviews.

"Tegan disappeared down that tunnel," the Doctor said pointing, "Do you have any idea where she's gone?"

"That tunnel has many off shoots, she could be going almost anywhere in the city!" Steve replied.

The Doctor looked disappointed.

"Was Tegan upset?" Steve asked.

"She had just informed someone their fiance was dead."

"There's only one place she'll be going then, although it depends on how much of a winding route she takes to reach it. There's a small place a few miles away, it was a favourite spot of her husband. Paul used to take her there a lot, part of her rehabilitation when she first arrived here.

"Tegan won't be going too fast, you should be able catch up with her fairly quickly. The first half mile or so of tunnel has no off shoots. Although I doubt she'll feel like company. She goes there

to think and plan what to do next," Steve warned.

A girl stood, she called the Lieutenant.

"I'd better go, good luck Doctor. You'll need it!" Steve said as he left.

"Rehabilitation?" the Doctor muttered.

Turlough looked at him, "There is a lot she isn't telling us."

"So it seems," his companion nodded, "Go talk to Lt. Brown, see if you can find anything out."

"What are you going to do?" Turlough asked.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking at the tunnel.

The Doctor broke open his second glow stick before he spotted Tegan. She was far ahead of him, walking along a straight side shoot. She'd changed back into her combat clothes.

Clearly she'd dropped back into the less painful 'Commander' mode. While living as Commander Tegan, she could block her emotions and problems. Forcing them to stay buried 'safely' away, where she didn't have to deal with them anymore.

He followed her for a short time before seeing daylight. As he stepped out of the passageway, he was momentarily overwhelmed by the brightness of the sunshine, after being in the base for so long.

Once the Doctor's eyes had adjusted he looked around for Tegan, she was walking up a slope not far away. He followed at a discrete distance, keeping out of sight. Although he doubted that she didn't know he was there. A trained soldier like her, having to be able to hear the slightest sound of a spider Dalek, should find it easy to hear his crashing around.

At the top of the hill there were several stone slabs. Tegan was laying on one with her eyes closed, soaking up the sunshine.

"Earth after a thunderstorm. One of this planet's high points, don't you think?" the Doctor asked sitting down next to her.

"I knew you'd follow me," Tegan muttered, not bothering to open her eyes. She was too comfy and sleepy by now. Which was why her friend had chosen this moment to appear.

"Why didn't you invite me along in the first place?" he asked.

"I needed time alone to think," she replied softly.

"How did Lt. Harris take the news?" the Doctor asked, also laying down to enjoy the sun and relax. He hadn't had a chance to do that lately either!

"Badly., in fact very badly. I mean, how else could he. I was to marry them in two days. At least I get a year married before I lost mine," Tegan answered.

"As badly as you took seeing your husband killed?" the Doctor asked, "At least he was spared that pain!"

"How do you know I saw Paul killed?" she demanded, shooting upright tiredness forgotten.

"Lt. Brown mentioned it and the fact you took his death badly. He wouldn't tell me any details though," he said.

"Good," she snapped, "Stay out of my life!"

"I want to help you, I am your friend," he insisted.

"What I want is to get this damn war over so the no one else's wife, husband, lover or child gets killed or even worse than that, tortured on a prison ship!" Tegan snapped.

"Are those prison ships really that terrible?" the Doctor asked.

"Worse than you can imagine!" Tegan answered staring at the view nervously.

"How do you know?" he asked, sensing he was close to the break through he needed.

"I lived on one, that's if you can call it living!" she answered.

"Oh," the Doctor muttered, all the pieces starting to drop into place finally.

"So I still have a few secrets," she said softly.

"How long were you there?" he asked.

"Far too long!" she replied tersely.

"Why did you come here of all places?" the Doctor asked. It was all he could think of to keep her talking. Which he had to do if he was to learn anything useful.

"Paul showed me this place when I first got out of hospital. After all those months of imprisonment it felt so large and airy. It was the most beautiful thing I'd seen for years. We had a picnic here and watched the sun set. It was very romantic. I come here to think a lot of the time," Tegan answered and yawned deeply.

For the first time he noticed now tired and ill she looked. "When was the last time you slept?" he asked.

"In the TARDIS, after I passed out," she answered.

"That was only a few hours, I mean the last time you had a full night of sleep," he said.

She shrugged. "Weeks I guess, there has been so little time. None of us rest much. Doesn't matter."

"It will make you ill," he warned.

Tegan touched her arm and looked around, "Something is coming," she muttered standing up. She pulled her gun from her shoulder nervously.

"We have to get back, they are very close!" she said.

"Right behind us," the Doctor said looking down the hill. Three Spiders were heading towards them. All three had different weapons, gun, acid and flame thrower.

"Damn," Tegan swore kicking at a stone slab, "This chip is more trouble than its worth!"

"No time for that," he said pulling her down behind his stone so they were hidden.

She wriggled away, "Help me," she hissed.

"I promise we'll talk about what ever you want later on, just have to get out of here alive first," the Doctor said.

"Maybe we could dodge past them," he muttered.

Tegan grabbed his coat sleeve, "Look you micro-brained idiot. There is an escape tunnel under this hill back to base. We'll get there safely, if you help me get this bloody rock moved!"

The Doctor looked sheepish, but he crawled over and helped her push. The slab was heavy and wouldn't move. "No chance," he whispered.

"Been sealed too long," she said, "I need some stiff wire or something . Try and clear the hinges."

The Doctor felt around in his pockets and found a rusty old hair clip. "These are really the companion's job to carry," he said offering it to her.

Tegan smiled and took the clip. "Essential part of a survival kit, I should have remembered!" She scraped away some of the moss from the edges of the tunnel way.

"Okay, push," she whispered.

This time the stone moved easily.

She gave him the clip back, "Was that one of mine?" she asked.

"More than likely!" he said.

Tegan peered over the stone, the spider leader was inches away. It sprayed acid at her. She ducked back down. and picked up her gun. The spider started crawling over the rock. Tegan fired and the little killing machine exploded into a million pieces.

Her hand was burning, it was agony. No time to find the field med-kit she realised. "You first," she said, standing up.

The Doctor shoved his friend into the tunnel and then jumped in after her. He hit the floor hard and saw her getting up. She looked like she was in a lot of pain.

"What part of you first did you misunderstand?" she demanded.

"All of it!" he answered.

"So I gathered," Tegan snapped, "You could have got yourself killed. I at least had a weapon!"

She allowed him to help her fit a slab across the bottom of the shaft they'd fallen down.

Afterwards Tegan lead him down a long passage to the sleeping area. Tiredly she flopped down on her bed.

"What happened to your hand?" he asked noticing finally how burnt it was.

She looked, "Spider acid. Luckily it was only a light splash, otherwise my whole hand would have gone!" She pulled some salve from her bag and spread it over the wound. The Doctor carefully wound a bandage around her hand.

Lt. Brown came over, "The high eastern passage way is blocked Commander, I'm going to clear it," he reported.

"Leave it, I blocked the tunnel. Spiders were after us. They would be in the base now otherwise!" Tegan said prodding her sore ankle. It had been hurt when she'd been shoved down the shaft tunnel.

"Let me see," the Doctor insisted pulled off her boot. He prodded her ankle for a few moments. "Nothing broken, just a slight sprain. With plenty of rest the swelling should go down by morning." he said.

"It'll have to wait, I'm needed. Rest will come later," she answered getting up.

The Doctor grabbed Tegan's arm. "Sleep," he said softly.

She slumped into his arms in a deep sleep.

"What did you do to her?" Lt. Brown demanded as he helped to lay her on the bed.

"Hypnotism, it was the only way," he answered.

"She'll kill you come the morning," Turlough commented, he'd followed Lt. Brown.

"Yes, well. I'll deal with that in the morning," the Doctor said.

"Its more likely she'll deal with you, at gun point!" Turlough suggested, "You know how Tegan feels about hypnotism. The next Galaxy won't be far enough way for you to hide there!"

"Turlough!" the Doctor snapped.

"Well, I'm not going to get in her way in the morning, I have this strange problem about confronting a homicidal Commander."

"What problem would that be?" the Doctor asked.

"The one where I actually want to continue living!" Turlough muttered.

"Do you ever think about anything besides self preservation?" the Doctor snapped.

"I won't throw my life away on a suicide mission!" he answered, leaving.

"Lt. Brown, may I look over Tegan's plans?" the Doctor asked.

"Of course, this way," he answered.

They left quietly so not to disturb Tegan.

"I'm sorry Tegan, but this is for your own good" the Doctor whispered as he left. Some how he didn't think she'd see it that way. Turlough was right, maybe it was time to leave and quickly!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen.

When Tegan first opened her eyes the level of the light strips showed it was early morning. Most likely around 5 am. Sleepily she rolled over and pulled the blankets back over her head.

Someone bent down and kissed her hair. "Sleep well Commander," he whispered.

Tegan was already sleeping again. The weeks of cat naps catching up with her, along with past injures.

The next time she stirred it was late morning, so late it was almost lunch time! She stretched lazily and looked around herself still half asleep. The base was silent, everyone had already left. It felt great to laze in bed instead of rushing around.

Tegan felt wonderful after her rest, but quickly realised that the raid had gone ahead without her. Within seconds she was dressed and headed towards main area.

On the way she realised something else. The reason she'd been sleeping. The Doctor had hypnotised her. Even though he knew her feelings on the subject.

Tegan had been hypnotised before and taken over mentally at least twice. Ever since the second mental assault by the Mara, when the Doctor had used hypnotism to try and discover what was wrong. He'd ended up setting the Mara free to totally control her mind and body.

The Doctor had saved her and finally destroyed the Mara. But it had left her with a life long fear and hatred of having her mind touched by another. The jerk knew it!

"I'll kill him!" she vowed, heading straight back to her sleep area. Her weapon's chest flew open as she kicked at it. Tegan quickly strapped her small hand gun to her left hip and the large knife to her right, grabbed her back pack full of other nasty weapons and went in search of her enemy.

Seek, locate, exterminate. Ran through her mind. It was something she'd heard the Daleks say a million times. But even that didn't throw her mind from its task. She was deep in a homicidal rage. If something didn't happen to calm her soon, the Doctor wouldn't stand a chance!

Tegan could smell frying bacon and eggs. something he'd cooked often. She followed the heavenly scent to the tiny kitchen area, roped off from the right hand side of main area.

Sure enough the Time Lord was inside cooking. His back turned away from the door, unaware she was watching. The mere sight of him made Tegan even more angry. She crossed the room in three steps, drawing her gun silently.

As she brought the weapon up to head height, he saw her reflected in a cooking pot hanging on the wall.

"Morning Tegan, would you like some breakfast?" the Doctor asked cheerfully. He didn't move, he couldn't risk it. This was going to take a lot of fast talking, something he was quite good at after hundreds of years of practice.

She flipped off the safety catch, "Give me one good reason why I don't shoot you right now."

"Because I know you Tegan, and I know you are not a killer. You couldn't pull that trigger," he answered.

She raised the gun slightly and fired. The bullet hit the wall just inches from his head making him wince.

"I'm a soldier. I have killed millions of Daleks and hundreds of my own kind, too badly hurt to survive. I could kill you and never have any regrets. I'll give you one last chance to come up with a

good reason," she snapped.

"But you never killed one person in cold blood before Tegan, not simply out of hatred," he said softly.

"There is always a first time for everything!" she said coldly.

The Doctor raised his arms above his head and turned around to face her, slowly. "You couldn't murder a friend. Not just for the sake of killing. You are a good person," he whispered.

He was getting worried. He'd talked his way out of a lot of things, but nothing like this. Maybe he'd been wrong about her, maybe she had become hardened enough that she could kill him without any regrets.

The gun wavered for a few seconds before being lowered. "I was a good person. I'm not any more. Lost soul. Hopeless cause. Hardened soldier. Phrases that have all been used to describe me since I came to this stupid place," Tegan answered re-holstering the weapon.

"Did you sleep well?" the Doctor asked relaxing. Instantly regretting his choice of words as her face hardened again and a murderous gleam appeared in her eyes. The gun was trained on him again.

"Yes, and you know why!" she snapped.

"Me?" he asked innocently.

"Don't try that one!" she snapped.

"I'm not trying anything," the Doctor insisted.

"You hypnotised me, you bastard! You know I hate that! You know what the Mara did to me, how I suffered! How could you do this to me?" Tegan asked, her voice tight with emotion, hands shaking.

The Doctor took a deep breath. These next few moments were critical. They'd save his life.

Or end it. He had no idea if a Regeneration would work after his brains were blown out!

"It was for your own good. I had no other choice," he whispered.

"There is always a choice Doctor, you taught me that!" she growled.

"There are exceptions to every rule," he said softly, "I'm sorry."

"I trusted you Doctor. I've only trusted two people since Paul was murdered. Steve and you, how could you do this to me?" she insisted.

"I didn't want you to be hurt or killed because you were just too tired and distracted on a raid to notice every Dalek!" The Doctor said, "I care for you, Tegan. You are my friend and will always be

so, even if you can't see that through all your pain and hurt!" He took a step forward and held out his hand for the gun.

"I don't need you, I don't need anyone," Tegan hissed, firing again.

The bullet missed his hand by inches. The Doctor watched it hit the wall. "You know, for Commander of the resistance you are a remarkably bad shot!" he remarked.

Tegan lowered her weapon still angry. "If I wanted it to be that easy, then your smouldering corpse would have hit the floor, before you even knew I was awake!"

"What do you want?" he asked, "Hand to hand combat?"

"Scared?" she challenged, throwing away the hand weapon.

"Is this really necessary?" he asked, "Either shoot me or come and eat before this food becomes cold!"

"And forget what you did to me?" Tegan asked, "I guess you want me to leave with you right now. Forgive what you did. Forget what the Daleks did to me and all the other people on their prison ships?" she exclaimed.

"Could you?" the Doctor asked.

Tegan showed him her left forearm. There was an 'X' burned deep into her flesh. "They did this to me. Showed that I was an expendable slave. They could do what they wished with me!" Her anger starting to fade away as deeper wounds and long suppressed pain started to well up, deep inside of her.

The Doctor shook his head sadly, "That must have hurt. As I said before, I can only imagine what you went through," he said softly.

"That was a long time ago though. Breakfast?" he asked.

Tegan's anger took her over again, "Never mind your past Tegan, lets have breakfast?" she asked.

He backed away slowly, realising what a stupid comment that had been.

"I start to pour my heart out to you and tell you what happened in one of the most traumatic times of my life. Like you'd been insisting I should, and all you can say is that was a long time ago!" she exploded.

Her blade flew towards his face. He hadn't even seen her hand touch it. Managed to duck and avoid a nasty head wound.

Tegan swiftly knocked his legs out from under him. Leaving the Time Lord in an untidy heap on the floor. "I hate you!" she said with real venom, her finger pulling on the trigger of her gun.

The Doctor wondered dazedly when she'd picked it up again. Real fear showed on his face, surprising Tegan, he'd always been so good at masking his true feelings.

She closed her eyes and readied herself to fire.

"I'm sorry Tegan, sorry I brought you here. Sorry that I left you alone. And most of all sorry I couldn't stop you from becoming who you did," he whispered.

"Damn it!" Tegan swore, "You always have to have the last word!"

"Put that on my grave stone," he suggested, "Here lies a fool who always had to have the last word!"

She re-holstered the weapon. "You don't deserve death, no matter how strongly I want to give it to you," she said stepping away to allow him up.

"Thank you," the Doctor said dusting down his clothes.

"Get out of here before I change my mind," she whispered.

"If you just let me explain," he begged.

"I want you out of my base and off of my planet right now or I'll kill you!" she warned.

The Doctor fell silent.

Tegan pulled her knife out of the wall with difficulty and walked away. Not knowing or even caring where she was headed.

"No broken bones?" Turlough asked from the doorway, as soon as she was out of sight."How long have you been standing there?" the Doctor asked.

"Since Tegan started flattening you, I wasn't sure if I should interfere. You seemed to be doing okay on your own," Turlough answered.

"In the sense that Tegan nearly killed me!" he commented.

"I warned you the Commander would be out for blood," Turlough replied.

"Will you just call her by her correct name!" the Doctor snapped.

"I just did!" Turlough replied coldly.

"This is Tegan we are talking about. A frightened, tired and stressed Tegan, but still her. She needs help and as her friends we should be giving her that help! One stupid mistake and I lost all the ground I'd gained."

The Doctor brushed passed his companion, heading towards where Tegan had exited.

Turlough reached out and grabbed his arm. "Just remember Doctor, this isn't Tegan. This new woman is nothing like the Tegan Jovanka we knew, and she wouldn't suddenly and miraculously turn back into her simply because we've arrived in her time line!

"She has had years of torment and torture here, that changes a person far more than you think!"

"I assume there is a point in there somewhere." the Doctor snapped.

"My point being, this 'Commander' is dangerous. Her behaviour erratic, trigger happy, psychotic, sadistic and generally bad news to be around.

"If we stay here and interfere in her worlds petty feuds and battles, we are going to end up being killed. Probably by the Commander herself!" Turlough commented.

The Doctor sighed, his friend may be just thinking about his own self interest, but he did have a point. This wasn't Tegan anymore, but she might be again.

"Will I ever find out what is bothering her so deeply?" he muttered dishing up the rapidly cooling breakfast for them.

"I thought it was just the fact that Paul had been killed in front of her," his friend said.

The Doctor shook his head, "Its something to do with what happened to her while the Daleks kept her on a prison ship. She might have told me if I hadn't been such a fool!"

"Where has Tegan gone to?" Turlough asked.

"Into hiding I expect, we'll never find her until she wants to be found. There are miles of tunnels, only she knows them all. Maybe she has followed behind the raid party to join up with them. I have no idea, I don't know the ground well enough to attempt to follow," he whispered.

"Could the TARDIS track Tegan?" Turlough asked, "It knew enough to bring you here."

The Doctor looked startled, "That's right, how did we arrive here when I programmed co-ordinates for the other end of the universe!"

"What happened to not being able to visit, we might get pulled back into the same time stream?" Turlough asked, "We dived forward six years perfectly safely!"

"I have no idea," the Doctor admitted, "It shouldn't be possible, unless ..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless someone or something deliberately brought me here." he answered.

Steve walked passed the kitchen door head buried in attack plans and raid results.

"Lt. Brown, do you have any idea where Tegan might have gone?" Turlough asked.

He looked up, "You argued over the hypnotism thing?"

"She threatened me with a knife and gun. Nearly killed me," the Doctor answered.

"Try the gardens. She loves working there, but I suggest you send Turlough. From what she just told me I don't think you'll be welcome," he answered.

Both of them stared at Turlough.

"No, I told you before. I'm not getting in Tegan's way!" he insisted.

"I am not going to give you a choice," the Doctor snapped.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen.

Tegan was in the apothecary area of their spacious gardens. She picked up a spade and started to work. This was the place that grew the bulk of the herbs, that constituted their medical supplies. The whole area had become quite over grown, weeds were starting to take over.

She liked to do gardening, it helped her relax. Even as a little girl her garden had been the envy of many. Her Grandma had once said that Tegan had the greenest fingers she'd ever seen.

Worked hard for hours weeding and planting fresh seeds. The hard labour was relaxing. Soon she was singing to herself. Realising her arm was hurting, Tegan checked it and got a nasty shock. Her bio-chip was looking very unhealthy. The skin was blistered and peeling. "So, you finally got me too," she whispered.

She was dying, slowly and painfully. Like all the others before her. Nothing could be done to stop the process, once it had started. Feeling a little depressed Tegan went back to her work. Most of their normal gardeners had been killed lately. She might as well do some work, while she still could. While she was still strong enough.

Turlough came up at some point and started to work along side her. After a few minutes she put down her spade for a breather. "So he sent you this time. He is such a coward, sending a companion to do his dirty work, but then again he always did!" she commented.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, I was just exploring your labyrinthine base," he answered.

"Yeah right, and I'm the universe's biggest fan of Deva Loca!" Tegan said, sitting down on a box seat.

"I warned him not to do it," Turlough said nervously.

She tapped the box next to her, "Come here. I don't bite, and my gun isn't here."

Turlough did so. "The Doctor did send me, he wanted to make sure that you are all right, but didn't dare come himself. Worried that you'd treat him as hostile again."

"He should have thought of that before tampering with my mind. I was out for blood this morning, its a good thing I managed to regain control. Otherwise you'd be a solo traveller. Making me miss that raid was unforgivable.

"Even more so that he touched my mind, yuck! As far as I'm concerned the Doctor is hostile towards me. The quicker he leaves here, the better!" Tegan said.

"I have always wondered, why does hypnotism frighten you so much?" he asked.

"Remember what I said about the Mara in the TARDIS?" she asked.

Turlough nodded.

"It was a creature that took over my mind in Deva Loca for a short time, until it travelled to a better host. The Doctor destroyed it, but a piece remained in my mind, hidden deeply. We had no idea. The Mara had taken over my mind long enough to take us to a place it could be reborn. Once there it took total control of me.

"The Doctor destroyed it in the end, and promised it could never return. It still scared me though. Some times I dream of it even now. Since then I haven't been able to stand hypnotism, its too much of a personal invasion. And he knew that!" Tegan explained.

"This bio-chip is bad enough. I am linked to all the members of my group. If I am in a certain radius I can feel any one who dies. Their pain and sorrow. It's a nagging sensation at the back of my mind. I'm grateful that this time I should be out of range of the raid. This could be a slaughter!" she muttered.

"The Doctor did what he thought was right. Sleep depravation was effecting your judgement and making you ill," Turlough said.

Tegan thought she saw a shadow on the far wall, but it disappeared instantly from her line of sight as if suddenly realising it could be seen. She ignored the shadow, trusting her own instincts would warn her if it was anything important. No warning bells had sounded in the camp yet, so it wasn't an invasion. Anything or anyone else wasn't important to her right now.

"That's not what was making me ill. There is some kind of virus going around camp, been around for a long time. We don't have the medical supplies to create a cure," she lied.

"You can't blame the Doctor for trying to help you."

"I don't mind the sentiment behind the actions, just what he did. The end does not justify the means. He knew my feelings, but still went ahead and did it to me!"

Turlough looked around at all the plants. "Why do you have a garden underground?" he asked.

"This place grows our food. Few tins and other items have survived this long. There is artificial light created by generators to act like sunlight. We tried above ground before, but the Daleks destroyed everything," she broke off as she heard another faint noise, looking for the source.

"What do you grow?" he asked trying to interrupt so she wouldn't discover what the noise really was.

"Everything we can to eat and plenty of herbs for our wounded. I was taught homeopathic cures a long time ago, while I was still on the prison ship. Its not as if I can go to the corner chemist anymore!" she remarked.

Someone was creeping along the wall towards them. She could see the shadow in the corner of her eye. Tall, male by the way it was walking. The flap of a long coat was evident as he moved. There was only one person that it could be, a sneaky, annoying Time Lord.

He'd clearly discovered the meaning of reconnaissance missions since she'd left. Send Turlough in as a distraction, so he could follow and try to gather information about her mood and whether it was safe to reveal his position.

She had to stifle laughter, somehow the way he was acting was funny to her. She wasn't sure why, it just was. Deep down she still cared for him, and was starting to feel guilty about how she'd acted, now she was a little calmer. She could feel her anger slipping away, maybe she'd seriously over reacted. The Doctor must had very good reasons to do what he had.

"What happened to you on the ship?" Turlough asked, suddenly realising that she might have heard the intruder.

Tegan allowed herself to be distracted by the question. "Torture, starvation, difficult enforced labour, death of close friends, captivity alone if you break the rules. The same as every other vessel the Daleks have. Ask any of my soldiers, they'll tell you the same."

"Sounds terrible," he commented.

"Worse than you can imagine. You have to have been there to understand the horrors faced by each and every one of us. The hopelessness tearing at your soul day in, day out." she muttered, blocking the flood of returning memories.

"Survival rate of those captured?"

"Around 10% of prisoners are freed in our raids. Less than 5% survive the first two weeks here. Maybe 2% can be saved mentally and psychically, to be returned to an existence fighting for their freedom. I nearly didn't make the 2%, if Paul hadn't been there and Steve, I think I would have gone completely mad. They'd kept me in some of the more extreme conditions, as punishment for my crimes against The Dalek Empire."

"Crimes!" she laughed bitterly, "All I did was try to keep the orphan children alive!"

Turlough reached over and squeezed her hand gently. "Are you all right?"

The shadow had come forward even more, listening to the conversation. Dangerously close to being in full view.

Tegan reached for her knife, touching its cool steel. "You can tell your friend to stop skulking in the shadows. I know he is there." Ignoring his question, she didn't want to talk about the ship anymore.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Tegan, we are completely alone," he insisted.

Tegan stared at him,"Come on Turlough, grant me some intelligence. We both know that the Time Lord is there. I am trained to pick up the slightest sound of a Spider units, I'd have to be stone deaf not to hear that crashing around!"

"Sorry Doctor, I tried," he said.

"Lost the knack Doctor, you can't skulk around near me anymore!" she taunted.

"I resent that, I am very good at skulking!" the Doctor answered, coming into sight.

"I told you to leave my base, before I had you thrown off," she snapped, deciding to wind him up a little. Don't get mad again, get even, she'd opted for!

"Tegan, I'm sorry,"

"Do you really think that covers it Doctor?"

"I'm sorry, I'll leave," he turned away.

"Get over here, I'm not going to hurt you now," she said.

The Doctor did as he was told meekly, and sat down with them.

"If you ever even think of doing something like that again I will rip you limb from limb with my bare hands," she warned.

"I don't doubt that," the Doctor said, "Impressive gardens considering your limited equipment."

"Flattery doesn't get you back in my good books," Tegan answered, "Gets you this though." She snapped him off a fresh stalk of celery from the basket of food she'd picked to make lunch and pinned it gently on his jacket with a spare hair pin.

"Why did you do that to me?" she asked, "You know how I feel about hypnotism!"

"I had no other choice," he answered.

"I doubt that somehow," Tegan said bitterly, "You made me miss a very important raid."

"I didn't want you to be hurt."

"Doctor, this raid was a suicide mission the way Steve had designed it. I needed to work on a better plan. I doubt we'll get away without extremely heavily casualties now!"

"Yes, I know. Lt. Brown showed me the plans. Unfortunately I could do nothing to stop them," the Doctor said, "The military mind is a strange device. Quite amazingly stuck in its own particular ways."

Tegan sighed, "You are probably right Doctor, but it can't be helped. Turning into commandos is the only way to exist in a Dalek ravaged world."

"Would you still like me to leave your base?"

"I'm thinking about it," she said with a slight smile, enjoying her teasing.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

"Me too, I overreacted big time. I shouldn't have attacked you."

"I warned him not to upset a homicidal Commander, with combat skills," Turlough commented.

"So that's how you think of me now," Tegan said, "I can't help how I am. Its kill or be killed here. You try living that for as long as I have!"

"Anyone for lunch?" Turlough asked, in an abrupt subject change.

"You are always hungry," she laughed.

"I'm not," he said sullenly.

"Adric used to be the same, hollow legs. I'll make us a nice stew," Tegan promised, "The others will want something hot when they get back from the raid."

"If they ever do." she added worriedly.

She linked her arm through Turlough's offered one and let him lead her up the narrow path.

The Doctor followed. "Can you forgive me?" he asked.

Tegan thought for a moment, "I can try and forget what happened, but I may never be able forgive you."

The Doctor nodded his understanding. At least she wasn't trying to kill him anymore, he was grateful for small mercies. He wondered faintly if he could ever forget the vicious attack she'd tried.

Tegan dropped the basket she was holding and collapsed with her hands pressed firmly over her ears. The Doctor was down by her side instantly, "Whats wrong?" he demanded.

"That bio-chip, the raid," Turlough muttered.

The Doctor glanced up at his companion, waiting for an explanation.

"Tegan said it worked as a link to everyone else. She could feel their sorrow and pain. Something could have gone wrong on the raid and she's picking it up through the bio-chip," he explained.

"I see, the machinery made her empathic," the Doctor muttered.

"Empathic?" Turlough queried.

"Able to pick up other humanoids, stronger emotions. Such as hate or violence," he answered.

She groaned in his arms, muttering something he couldn't pick out.

"Tegan, you must concentrate on my voice. It will be your constant, as long as you can hear my voice nothing can happen to you. You will be completely safe."

"More hypnotism!" Turlough muttered.

The Doctor glared, "Tell me what you can see and what you can feel Tegan. Its important I understand whats happening around you."

"Daleks are all around us. Spiders and normal, attacking, burning, destroying everything in their path. The whole raid is dead, so many bodies all around me. The screaming, its deafening. The pain," she gasped.

Turlough ran to get help, hoping some medic's would be around.

"You can feel every single death?" he asked watching his companion run.

"Every scream, every death. All the pain, so much pain!" she whispered.

The Doctor fiddled with the chip on her arm, trying to find a hinge or something to remove it by.

Tegan snapped out of it long enough to grab his arm. "Remove that and you kill me," she said, before slipping back again.

"Concentrate Tegan, tell me what you can see. Describe your surroundings."

"We are outside of the Dalek base. The attack isn't going ahead as planned, we never made it into the complex. The was an ambush outside. Many people have died, countless bodies around us. So many deaths." Tears were running down her face.

"How many hostiles?" he asked, using army phrases she'd react to more quickly. She would have been trained to react to commanding officers using this kind of phrasing in an emergency and time was short.

"Hostiles: a dozen standards behind me. Perhaps two more dozen in front. Eight to my left side, four to my right. Another dozen waiting in the entrance way to the base, incase they are needed.

"Spiders are just coming out of the base. Acting as reinforcements to the six or seven standards we've destroyed. There are nine, no ten spiders. Eight with gun attachments, two with flame throwers. That's roughly all that escaped the big raid of their hatchery last month."

Now the Doctor knew exactly what her surroundings were, he could bring her back to the real ones. "Concentrate on my voice, " he insisted, "Tell me what I can do."

"Nothing can be done, its too late. We are all dead or dying. The spiders are crawling around, finishing off any survivors. We have failed, our resistance is over. The human race is doomed," she muttered.

Her pulse was dropping fast, if he didn't snap her out of it she'd die along with her friends. He wouldn't allow that to happen, he'd already lost one companion this regeneration (Adric). He wouldn't lose another, not this way.

"Tegan, what you can see is a very long way away. You are watching a raid you didn't go on. I stopped you from going. Your soldiers are attacking Daleks at the other end of town. Miles away from this base."

"No, we are all together on one final raid. Dying all together, the way we should. The Daleks have won, our resistance is over. Why didn't you save us, Doctor? You were our last hope."

He was hurt by her words, but couldn't risk dropping the hypnotism. It was his only link to Tegan. If he wasn't careful she'd slip from it and into a coma.

"They are dying, the soldiers, not you Tegan. You are here with me, in the gardens at Main Base. We are alone, just you and me. Nothing can happen to you. Nothing can hurt you," he said, increasing the strength several degrees."I can see them!"

"We are in Main Base, you are safe here with me. Nothing can harm you here. They are miles away."

"I don't believe you, I can hear the scream, smell the burnt flesh. How can I not be there?"

"Because this is a hallucination created by your new empathic skills. You are in Main Base and safe. Its not you being hurt."

"No, its not me. Not me," she muttered sounding sleepy.

"Are you back now, Tegan?" he asked, dropping down a few degrees. He wanted to free her, not knock her out.

Tegan looked around herself startled, "I think so."

He dropped the hypnotism completely. She was out of danger, for now. He helped her stand up.

"Thank you," she whispered, " I owe you yet again."

"I had to do something you won't approve of," the Doctor said carefully.

She held a finger to his lips, "Shh, I know what you did or I can guess it. You saved my life, I'm extremely grateful. How you did it isn't important to me right now."

"What happened?" he asked.

"I think part of this stupid bio-chip burnt out, if it hadn't, I think I would have died with them."

"Can we remove this?" he asked, looking at the large plate of metal in her skin.

"Not unless you intend to bury me tonight," she answered calmly, "My husband designed this very carefully. There is no removal, not ever. That was the point, designed to be in installed in every one of us. Working as a homing beacon if anyone was captured.

"In theory it worked, in the six practice subjects it didn't so well. Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to join them, it was jinxed from the start. Some things didn't go to plan, others don't work at all. Lt. Brown and I have spent many sleepless nights working through the plans, but we can't find any loop holes or anyway to repair," Tegan said, hoping he wouldn't pry further.

She didn't want him to know that she was dying. If he did, then his efforts would to turn to saving her single life and not the lives of her troops, much more important than her own.

"How many survived the raid?" he asked.

"I don't tell, the 'chip burnt out to soon. It doesn't matter. That raid was virtually our last hope. With all those lost lives we have no chance, I've failed," Tegan said softly, hanging her head.

"Well, you know what they say: where there is life, there is hope," the Doctor said cheerfully.

"Around here the saying goes: where there are Daleks, there are neither!" she replied.

"The survivors, where will they come to?" he asked.

"Hopefully back here, lets get to Main Area and see," she said.

"Are you fit to?" he asked.

"I'd better be, I'm Commander," she whispered.

"You have to think of your own health and safety!" he insisted.

"When you take on the role of Commander, personal health and safety means nothing. All that matters is the work, its all that can matter," Tegan said.

The Doctor shook his head sadly.

"Thinking of the old Tegan?" she asked, "The innocent, naive young girl you knew. Wishing I could be her?"

"I shouldn't have left you here," he said.

"Sometimes I wish I could be her again too. Once I even tried, but I was just fooling myself. She is long dead. I buried her when I buried my husband, along with all my dreams. Back then I still believed that we could win. Now, well now I have no idea," she answered.

"Its time we worked together against our common enemy, instead of fighting each other," the Doctor suggested.

"We will, but first there will be people who need medical care. Our skills are better used on them. Our medics are fairly useless, there are a couple of dozen, and between the two of us, we have more skill! Lets go," she said.

They raced along the short tunnel to main area. There were wounded everywhere. The medics seemed to have most of it under control. Tegan winced at the prolonged screams of agony. She's heard enough of that in her hallucination.

They split up. One going left, the other right. The Doctor turned around and smiled at her. "Brave Heart Tegan," he whispered in the back of her mind.

"You too Doc, you too," she answered softly and went straight to Lt. Brown. He was just bandaging up his right arm, where he had a nasty gash, still bleeding freely.

"How many dead?" she asked, helping to tie off the bandage.

"Around a hundred, it was a slaughter," he answered.

Tegan showed him her arm, "Make that a hundred and one soon!"

"Dear God!" he muttered and pulled her into the next room where they could talk in privacy.

"When did this start?" he demanded checking the implant.

"I noticed the peeling this morning, but I've been feeling rough for a few days. Thought I'd over done it a bit," she answered.

"What do we do?" he asked.

Tegan touched his arm, "You know there is nothing we can do. You saw that in all the others."

"You have to rest!" Steve insisted.

"Resting gives me what? An extra day! I am still needed as Commander. I will carry on for as long as I am able, which in the best case could be for several weeks yet," she said.

"Or in the worse, a couple of more days maximum," he answered.

"I know, this isn't easy. After all this time I finally discovered the will to live again and now this," Tegan said, "Let me go out fighting Steve, I beg that of you!"

Steve nodded, knowing he was beaten. "Shall I tell the others?"

"No one is to know. I only told you as I want you to take over when I go. Or if I become too ill to continue," Tegan said.

"I will accept my duty with pride, when it is needed of me," he answered.

"Tell me the truth Stevie, I know how you feel about the role of Commander. Its a name that can get you killed quick. I'll ask another," she offered.

"I will take over with pride," he insisted.

"Good luck Steve, or at least better than mine!" she muttered.

"What is the next step, another raid?" he asked.

Tegan shook her head, "I will not allow anymore lives to be wasted on those, it is suicide. I do have one idea though."

"What is it?" Steve asked.

When I tried to develop that new strain of Dalek virus before, I didn't have the equipment. If the Doctor will allow me to, I think using his lab I could really do it. Might be a chance to end this

war at long last," she said.

"Will he agree?" Steve asked.

"Its worth a try, anything is!" she answered.

"Do you need me to locate the Doctor?" he asked.

"No need," the Doctor said from the entrance-way.

"I thought you were busy with the wounded," Tegan muttered guiltily wondering how much he'd heard. If he knew she was dying, her part in all of this would be effectively over. No way would he allow her to continue.

"Did you want to ask me something?" he asked.

"I need a favour, but I'm not sure if you'd agree," she said nervously.

You might as well ask me," he commented.

"I need access to the TARDIS's lab," she asked.

"My lab has many dangerous objects inside. I'll need to know why before I decided," the Doctor said.

"I believe that using the old Dalek virus I can develop a stronger version that will eat through the protective shell. I tried before, but I simply didn't have the equipment. Or to be totally honest, the skill," Tegan answered.

"You can use the TARDIS, as long as you agree to let me help you," the Doctor said.

"Agreed, I couldn't manage it alone!" she smiled.

"When do we leave?" Turlough asked.

"Where were you?" the Doctor snapped annoyed.

"I went to find someone to help Tegan, but by the time I found a medic, she was already here with you. I was helping out with the wounded, as well as I can" he answered.

Tegan wasn't completely convinced. Helping wounded didn't sound like Turlough, unless it was his own wounds. In which case he would have fainted at the sight of them, or was that her being too harsh again?

She looked at the Doctor, and could see the same doubt in his eyes.

"Give me a couple of hours before we go. I'm needed here for the moment," Tegan said.

"I'll start work in the other room," the Doctor said.

"Check our medicines first. So you know what we have, its mainly herbal. Pain killers and sleeping tablets. You won't be able to do much for most of these people," Lt. Brown said.

"If I have to rip out the TARDIS's Medical Centre, I will save these people," the Doctor answered, storming off with Turlough following behind.

"Leave him," Tegan advised, "He can't stand such suffering. He'll do everything he can for everyone. I've seen that before. Frontios was more primitive then here, but he saved so many people there. Give him whatever he asks for. Please!"

"Can you travel well enough to reach this 'TARDIS'?" Steve asked.

"I'm okay for now, just tired," she said.

"This area is under control, but Medi bay could use help. That's two blocks over, need me to show you?" he asked.

"I can find my way. I've been there before," Tegan answered sharply.

"I will never forget that day," he said.

"You know I will never do that again," she said.

"You don't need to now, you are dying anyway!" he snapped.

"Look on the bright side lofty, I'm not dead yet. This virus could save everyone and I won't stop working until I find the answer! A legacy for my friends here," she vowed.

"Lt. Brown, you are needed in the radio room," a voice shouted.

"I'd better go," he muttered and softly kissed her cheek.

"Goodbye, my friend," Tegan answered.

They embraced quickly.

Once he'd gone, she made her way across to the other ward. As she entered the stench of death nearly overcome her senses. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to enter.

There were badly hurt people all around and very few people to help them. Picking up a bundle of bandages and a bowl of fresh water Tegan went to do what she could.

Tegan spent a long time cleaning and covering wounds. Most not too serious. They'd been lucky this time.

She came to a friend's bedside. It was Kevin, he'd been best man at her wedding. His leg was at a nasty ankle, clearly broken. "Brace yourself, I need to snap this back," she warned.

Kevin did as he was told. Tegan took his leg firmly and pulled as hard as she could. Twisting the limb back into shape. The sound of bone crunching again bone was horrible.

When she looked up, Kevin had fainted. It didn't surprise her. That leg must have been agony. Carefully she splinted the leg and got up.

Tegan looked around. Everything seemed under control. So she couldn't put off her duty any longer. Time to check the dead bodies. Or what was left of them. Cross check the names again those still missing.

The tunnel to the morgue was short, but she took as long as she dared to get there. The smell was worse here. You couldn't mistake where you were.

Inside was row upon row of bodies. Some in pieces, others mainly whole. The stink made her feel sick. Trying to stay detached from what she was seeing Tegan lifted the covering blanket from the first body.

She realised it was Chloe. They'd been like sisters. Now she was dead, but not only dead. In several very gory pieces.

The left arm was missing from the shoulder down. All that was left was a blood covered hole. There was a hole in the tummy. Tegan could see internal organs through it. The body had been dead for days. Maggots were already eating away at the flesh.

She dropped the cover in shock, fighting the urge to throw up as tears poured down her face.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder. She turned and buried her face in the person's jacket.

"Are you all right?" a soft voice asked when her sobs slowed enough.

Tegan pulled away from him, but couldn't answer. She was still shaking with the shock of seeing a close friend like that.

The Doctor lifted the blanket and peeked at the body. "Nasty," he muttered, "The Daleks have created much worse weapons since we last met."

He took Tegan's still shaking arm and lead to back to Main Area, which had now been cleared of all the wounded. He sat her on a box and brought over a cup of very sweet tea.

She sipped it slowly and started to feel a little better. "What did you put in that?" she asked softly, not seeming to care about the answer.

"You don't want to know!" he answered.

"Thank you," she said softly, her mind still in the Morgue with her friend.

Turlough appeared suddenly. "Are we ready?" he asked.

The Doctor waved him silent, "Tegan has had a nasty shock. Let her recover first."

Turlough noticed how pale she was and sat down to wait.

"Who was that girl?" the Doctor asked.

"Chloe Henderson, rank Private," she whispered.

"Did you know her well?" he asked.

"We were like sisters. Became friends soon after I came here. My dancing tutor. She got captured by the Daleks and taken to a Prison ship. A few days later I was taken to the same place. Strangely we were in the same camp. We went through a lot together. Saved my life a few times, and I hers," Tegan said.

She went even paler thinking about the body. Another cup of tea was forced into her hand and she was forced to drink.

"That's pure sugar," Tegan complained pushing the Doctor away.

"Welcome back," he said.

"You'd think after all the death I'd seen, nothing could effect me like that now," Tegan said.

"I'd be even more worried about you if it didn't," the Doctor said, "We'd better go now, if you feel up to it."

"Want to finish your tea?" Turlough asked.

"You try it?" Tegan said.

He took a sip and make a strangled sound. "Didn't know there was that much sugar in the entire world!" he commented.

Tegan stood, "Lets go."

"Are you sure you want to go now, we could wait a while?Even until after dark," the Doctor asked concerned.

"I'll feel better if I'm working, give me something to concentrate on," she answered gathering up a survival pack and weapon.

"Do you really need those?" he asked, "Lt. Brown says the area is clear."

"The one time I left these behind, my husband died. Now I don't even sleep without them," she answered going pale once more.

The Doctor took her arm to help her, but Tegan pulled away. "I can walk, but thanks."

"Where are we going?" Turlough asked.

"That warehouse from our last visit. I need a container of the Movellan Dalek virus," she answered.

As they were leaving Lt. Brown saw them and came over. "Tegan, I have bad news about Chloe," he said.

She glared at him and pushed past into the tunnel."Tegan saw the body," the Doctor said

Lt. Brown shook his head, "I was hoping to spare her that pain, is she ...?"

"I found her there, almost fainting from shock. After some sweet tea and brandy she is feeling a little better now," he answered.

"If I know Tegan, and after what we've been through I think I do, that won't be the end of the matter. Keep an eye on her for a while. Just in case," Steve warned.

"In case of what?" Turlough asked.

"Just, watch her," Steve said.

Tegan peered around the entrance. "Hurry up, we don't have much time," she whispered.

"I'll talk to you later. I want to know everything!" the Doctor warned Lt. Brown.

Turlough pulled on a survival kit and followed Tegan.

The Doctor pulled his battered hat into shape, jammed it tightly onto his head and followed, with one last glare at the Lieutenant.

"Don't let her out of your sight!" he warned.

"I wouldn't do that to a friend," the Doctor answered.

"She isn't your friend, she's mine,"

"I knew Tegan long before you did. I am the Doctor, we travelled together for an extremely long time." he snapped.

"That Doctor?" Steve asked.

"That Doctor!" he confirmed.

"She told me tales about you. A mysterious traveller from a distant planet, who's time travel device is a 1960's Police Box."

"What else did she tell you about me?"

"Some of your adventures, the Daleks mainly. No time now, follow Tegan. She is ill, seriously so."

"How ill?"

"I can't say, I promised her."

"I want to know everything as soon as I get back!" he warned.

"I'll tell you all I dare. She'll have my head," Steve promised and watched him ran off to catch up with Tegan.

"If you are truly the hero she told me you are, save Tegan's life. I can't lose her now, not like this." he whispered.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Commander Tegan Jovanka lead her old friends into the old abandoned warehouse from all those years ago. Nothing had changed at all on the ground floor. (Or at least what of it she could see from the entrance-way).

There was a thick coating of dust over the entire place. Her footprints were clearly visible on the floor. Even the piles of rubble were covered in dirt and grime.

As she closed her eyes she could still hear the final screams of so many people. They might have been just Dalek duplicates, spies against her race, but it had still been a terrible thing to witness.

Along with the metallic screams of dying Daleks being eaten away piece by piece by the Movellan virus.

Even stronger in her mind was the scream of the woman who gave her life for Tegan. When for the second time she'd tried to help her escape. To fetch help, to save them all.

She'd died for nothing. Tegan had been too scared to move. All because she didn't have the survival skills she'd needed to act. The skills it had taken her all these years to learn. Those which were now second nature to her, ironically soon before her death.

That day in 1984 had been her first real taste of senseless death. Tegan had seen people die before on her travels, but it hadn't been the same. Willingly laying down their lives for her was so different. Trusting that she could change what was happening.

Who did they think she was?

The Doctor?

She'd just been a normal girl. Just as frightened as the rest of them. The seed had been sewn in her mind on Frontios, but that day had set the pace in her life for all that was to follow.

The Doctor touched her arm gently, waking Tegan from her memories. For the first time she realised that she was crying.

She looked up and gave him a watery smile."I'm okay." she whispered.

"Really?" he asked, not believing a word of it.

"No," Tegan said, "I haven't been okay for a long time, have I?" she asked.

"I don't think so," he said gently. Squeezing her arm reassuringly.

"I haven't been back here since a few days after we parted. This place has memories I'd tried to forget. People I'd tried to forget. So many lives lost," she said softly.

"I know," he said quietly, thinking she wouldn't hear.

"I shouldn't have brought you here, for you its been just a couple of weeks at most. I've had years," Tegan answered.

The Doctor seemed to want to say something, but Turlough interrupted and the moment was lost, but for that brief moment both of them had totally understood the other's feelings.

Turlough was climbing the stairs to the second level. "Come on!" he called impatiently.

The Time Lord put his arm around Tegan as they followed. She did the same, leaning her head against his shoulder, the same way she always had. Inwardly the Doctor smiled, finally she was learning to trust him again.

Upstairs they discovered Turlough investigating the Dalek remains. He smiled when he saw them arm in arm. It seemed that all their differences had been forgiven at long last.

"This is where you placed the container of virus. Where the battle raged for so long," she commented, pulling away.

"The bodies are gone," the Doctor said.

"There was a service a few days after you left, just Steve and me. They deserved a proper burial even if they were just duplicates. I put flowers on the graves when I can. The woman most of all, she gave her life for me. Now I can't even remember her name!" she hung her head with grief for a moment.

"I wish things could have been different," the Doctor said.

Tegan smiled at him, "It wasn't your fault Doctor, you can't blame yourself for that." She pulled off her back pack and pulled out a small box and a scalpel.

"What are you doing?" Turlough asked.

"If we are going to try and develop a new strain of killer virus, then we need some Dalek DNA to test it on. Otherwise we might try and use it and find out its deadly to humans!" she snapped.

Tegan scrapped out some DNA and studied it. "Too old, we need to find a fresher victim," she muttered dropping the gunk back inside the machine.

"How about the wrecks near the small base you took us to?" Turlough asked.

She shook her head, "That place will be crawling with Daleks decrypting the code patterns. They'll learn from the first one the patterns to others. I won't risk it!" Pulling her bag back on.

"Is the time corridor still operational?" Turlough asked, changing direction to see for himself.

"I discovered the device which operated the corridor from this side and smashed it, so no more Daleks could come through, but later on we discovered there were devices in warehouses all over Shad Thames. Every time we smashed one, three more appeared! There could be some still around which work," she answered.

"Wasn't it tempting to use one to get home?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Tegan exclaimed, "I tried it once, but I came back. I am needed here."

"Why did you return?" the Doctor asked.

Turlough sat down on the floor. His feet were killing him, and he expected this to be a long conversation. Somehow explanations always were!

Tegan hadn't heard the question, she'd heard something. She motioned them to be quiet, passing Turlough her large gun. "Stay here!" she whispered and disappeared around a stone pillar.

Annoyed, the Doctor sat down too. If there was one thing he hated it was being kept out of the action. Now he knew how his companions felt every time when he'd told them the same thing. Then he remembered their normal response to his command.

"Stay here," he warned, getting up.

"Tegan said we should both stay here" Turlough pointed out.

"If it had been the other way around. I had told Tegan to stay, would she have listened?" he asked.

Turlough shook his head and watched his friend follow Tegan.

The Doctor found his friend on the steps to the third level. "Find anything?" he asked, seeing her drawn hand weapon.

"I thought I told you to stay back there," she said distractedly.

"Always worked for you!" he commented, "Did you find anything?"

Tegan smiled at him, "Serves me right for never doing a thing you ever told me to! I only found rats, this place is full of them. The upper levels are too dangerous to explore any further. I think this whole building is falling down!" putting the gun away.

"Why did you return to this time?" he asked once more.

"Oh, you know the old saying. You can never come home once you've left. That kind of thing," she joked.

The Doctor folded his arms and waited for the real reason. He had all the time in the galaxy if he needed it.

She sighed, "You always know don't you? Is it a Time Lord gift? Can't you miss even one little tiny lie?"

He shook his head.

"I didn't fit in there anymore. I've changed to much. I actually missed being here, being in this time. Fighting for my life constantly. I even missed that adrenaline rush you get when you escape a Dalek that's been following you across half of London. Crazy huh?" she asked.

"I could go back. Change things so we never met," he offered.

"Don't you dare!" Tegan snapped, looking livid, "I won't allow you to change my life like that. I wouldn't exist any more. I may not be totally happy with everything that's happened these past six years, but it is my life now.

"So I lost some friends along the way and got tortured by Daleks. I've helped a lot of people, saved countless lives and the only reason I could do that was because of you! What you showed me on our travels and all I learnt from them. Without that I'd be nothing, just another lamb to the slaughter. I would never have survived these wars!

"You gave me the strength and skill to do all of this. Its whats kept me going. I get up every morning with a reason to live here, to stay here. The reason being I can make a difference, I'm needed. I help these people every moment of every day of my life. I'm trying to carry out the legacy you showed me. Doing everything I can to save innocent people's lives!" she exclaimed.

"This isn't your fight Tegan, you never chose this life. I did. You can stop any time and go back to your own time," he said.

"I did chose this life, a long time ago now. The second I came back through the time corridor and found Steve waiting for me I decided where I belong. This will continue to be my life as long as I can still make a difference!" she answered firmly.

The Doctor beamed, "I am very proud of you."

"I didn't do this for you to be proud of me. I do it because I have to," she said.

"Come along, Turlough will be wondering where we are," the Doctor said putting his arm around her. He was surprised when Tegan shrugged it off and just followed her back downstairs quietly.

Turlough looked up as they came over, "Find anything?" he asked.

"Only rats," Tegan answered.

(They all sat back down.)

"I heard an argument," Turlough commented.

"The Doc. offered to change time so I wouldn't come here. I explained that wasn't a good idea," she said.

"Wouldn't that alter the time stream a lot? The Time Lords would be very angry," Turlough said.

"No, they wouldn't," she commented, "My past can't be changed."

"Why?" her red haired friend asked.

"What was done once, must be done again," Tegan answered.

"Time Paradox," the Doctor muttered.

She nodded. "That person I told you about, the 'cousin' staying in the London area who gave me some strange advice and seemed to know you Doc. One day I looked in the mirror, and I saw her face staring back at me.

"I realised a long time ago that the only reason my Aunts car could have broken down was if she'd done something to it. How could the spare tyre be flat, Auntie never would have allowed that to happen, and the missing tools. The stranger told me wondrous things about other planets and life forms. I thought she was crazy at the time.

"I had to go full circle and tell the old me everything the future me had said. I thought about it for days, but I knew it was something I wanted to do more than anything. At least I could see you one last time, even if you didn't know who I was," Tegan explained.

"How long did you spend in the past?" the Doctor asked.

"Around a month and I hated almost every single minute," she admitted, "I misaligned the time stream, arriving far sooner than I'd planned. So I went to UNIT and saw the Brigadier and some of your ex-companions."

The Doctor looked worried.

"Don't worry, I didn't give away any of our future. I remember all that complex time stream stuff you taught me. I wouldn't risk unravelling the fabric of time," she commented.

"What happened while you were there?" Turlough asked.

"Nothing much, I chatted with the ex-companions for a while. We compared the differences between our different regenerations, different adventures and planets we'd visited."

"My old friends, all together complaining about me. I'll travel alone in future," the Doctor commented.

"We didn't complain, just swopped stories. There was me, Liz Shaw, Sarah Jane Smith and Ace. Liz still works with UNIT. Sarah does sometimes too, K9 keeps her out of trouble. Ace travels around a lot. Different times and places, works for herself."

"Ace?" the Doctor asked, "I don't know anyone of that name."

"Her Nitro 9 bomb designs are what helped us claw back some hold against the Daleks. Somehow I doubted she was the type of person you'd travel with."

"What was wrong with her?" Turlough asked.

"Tall girl, long dark hair, quite a few battle scars. She's been through some serious Dalek wars, despite her youth. . Seen things people never should, death, destruction and chaos on a scale even I can only imagine. Probably lost a few friends along the way, I'd guess at someone she cares deeply about too.

Knows that the only person you can truly rely on is yourself, so she travels alone. Putting as much distance as she can between her old friends and herself. The type who shoots first and asks questions later."

"You seem to know a lot about this 'Ace'." the Doctor commented.

"I know the type. I see them all the time here. You can see it in their eyes."

"Maybe she reminds you of yourself."

"Someone so young shouldn't have seen such things."

"Because you are older, you can? Is that right?"

"Not because I'm older, because I'm Commander!"

"You weren't always Commander."

"You don't need to remind me, I can still remember when I travelled with you. I was innocent and naive then. Too trusting, nothing bothered me too much, because I always knew that whatever the problem you could deal with it.

"You could always save the world or whatever and keep the companions safe while you did it. I had complete and utter faith in your ability. But then again, I hadn't been on a Prison ship then. I learnt the three rules of survival in that place.

"One: Never let your guard down for a second, it costs lives. Maybe even your own.

"Two: Never rely on others. They'll sell you out for even a couple of scraps of half rotted food. If you need someone to trust, trust yourself its safer.

"Three: Kill or be killed. If you don't fight for what you believe in, then you're already as good as dead," she snapped.

"You can't continue to live like that!" the Doctor insisted.

"Why not?" Tegan asked, "Its kept me alive this long."

"I pity you."

"I don't want or need your pity."

"You will get it anyway, for what you've become and the fact that you can't even see it anymore. You've become what you used to hate the most. Someone who lives simply for death and destruction. You thrive on it!" he snapped.

"I don't," Tegan shouted back, "That's those hideous machines out there. I'm just trying to keep my race safe a little longer, in the hope we can take back our planet. If you don't want to help, leave!"

"I can't do that."

"I will not have this argument again Doctor. This is my life, not yours!" she said.

He fell silent.

Turlough looked around, "How long have we been here?"

Tegan thought about it for a moment, "Too long, we'd better get moving before its too late."

A loud crashing sound was heard over head. Tegan dropped her hand weapon into the Doctor's lap. "Get the virus, I'll scout around, try and find out what that was."

Without waiting for a response she left. It seemed to be coming from upstairs, so she sneaked up the steps and looked around knife drawn. Turlough was right behind holding her rifle.

Tegan indicated for him to go left, she went right. Wasn't any point sending him away, the ground would be covered quicker this way. If there was any trouble even he could operate a gun!

The sound came again, louder and closer. She heard the Doctor come up the stairs and head towards her. A second set of feet following had to be Turlough.

A battered cardboard box moved slightly in front of her. Hoping it wasn't too dangerous a spider unit she grabbed the box and shoved it to one side, knife out stretched and pounced.

A small black kitten jumped out at her. On the end of her knife was a small rat.

"Thank you for saving us from the savage animals," Turlough commented, bending down to stroke the cat.

Tegan turned, holding the knife at his throat. "Shut up, or you'll be next!" She dropped the rat on the floor for the painfully thin kitten and stomped back downstairs.

A container of virus sat at the bottom, the Doctor must have managed to dig one out. There was a crash and the door flew open, showing several Daleks beyond.

"Doctor!" she shouted, "Get down here now!"

Turlough was the first down the stairs and threw her the rifle. Tegan raised it to fire, but had to hit the ground to avoid being hit by a Dalek blast.

She brought the weapon back up, but it refused to fire. The Doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her down behind some rubble. Throwing down the useless weapon, she swopped to the hand gun. "Go for the time tunnel, its our only escape."

"I thought it was broken?" Turlough asked.

"I ripped out mainly the time co-ordinates. We might be able to hook enough wires up for a site to site transport to another warehouse. There is a working device a few blocks over I haven't disabled yet."

The Daleks were getting closer, the throb through her arm was warning her. "Go, I'll lay down some covering fire."

The Doctor hesitated, "Will you be alright?"

Tegan offered him her tool belt, "Just make us a way out of here. If anyone can, its you."

He took it and ran after Turlough. Several Dalek beams followed them. Tegan jumped up, four Daleks were in sight. "Hey, pepper pots. I'm the one you want. Commander of the Resistance, nice prize for your leader!"

They were distracted long enough by her firing to let the others get to the time tunnel device. She threw a time delayed bomb and followed. The blast knocked her flying, the time delay had failed again. Bad wiring she guessed.

Turlough grabbed her arm, and pulled Tegan behind a crate. The Doctor was already working on the device, she could see cream trousers and feet sticking out from underneath.

"Are you hurt?" Turlough asked.

Tegan shook her head, and passed him the rifle. "Buy me some time for a diversion."

Diving into her rucksack, water bottles and survival rations being thrown everywhere as she searched for the last of the bombs. Turlough glanced back at her. "The power pack is almost gone!"

Shoving back inside the bag, as many of the scattered supplies as she could reach, Tegan called "How long?" Behind her, to the Doctor.

"A few more minutes," he replied.

Tegan chucked her hand weapon to Turlough. "Plan?" he asked.

"You strike left and divert the Daleks from the centre of the warehouse, where that pile of rubble is. I do the rest," she was only a few paces away from their hiding place, but unluckily the Daleks were directly in the way. Tegan pulled a tiny gun from her boot, it only had an emergency charge of four shots, she hoped it was enough.

She lent over the crate and fired to distract from Turlough, running over to his new position. He signalled, and she stopped firing.

Tegan threw down the useless weapon and ran. Two of the Daleks broke off and fired at her. She moved more quickly, hoping it would be too fast to allow a lock on.

Wrongly so, a beam flashed passed the back of her leg. Knocking her down, just inches away from her target. Stunned by the pain, she lay there unmoving. Smelling a mixture of burnt flesh and boot leather.

Tegan faintly heard her name shouted and started to crawl the rest of the way. She planned the bombs to go off in two waves. A time delayed first wave here and then a second as they left the warehouse.

As she punched away at the controls, she felt a second beam hit her back and left shoulder. Swearing softly, Tegan finished her job and ran back to safety. Luckily avoiding any more injures.

"You'd better be finished!" she hissed.

"I am," the Doctor said calmly. Standing up and dusting down his clothes.

"How long until they go off?" Turlough asked worriedly.

Tegan ducked down, pulling her friends with her, as the blast rocked the building. Several surviving Daleks, were still advancing on their position. She crawled over and started to punch buttons, trying to find a site to site command.

The Daleks weren't the only danger. The ceiling was shaking dangerously. The final levels, set to collapse at any moment.

Finally the time tunnel shimmered into place.

"Is it safe?" Turlough asked.

"Safer than here!" she replied.

The Doctor picked up the virus container and entered the beam, with Turlough following. Tegan punched in the send command and watched them fade away.

She glanced back at the collapsing building. "So many people lost here," she muttered, "But no more. I can end this now, with the Doctor's help."

Tegan placed the final two bombs on the floor, after programming the device for automatic sending.

As she entered the beam, she whispered "Goodbye my friends, you will finally be avenged."

Tegan felt the heat of the explosion as she faded away.

Belatedly two things struck her.

1. What if the Doctor hadn't managed to repair the device properly?

2. What if she hadn't managed to programme it correctly?

Too late now! she decided.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen.

Tegan was the first to recover from the travelling. She awoke to

find herself in a carbon copy of the warehouse they had just been

in. She'd landed badly on a pile of crates, crushing them to the ground.

A large splinter of wood had been driven straight through her shoulder,

blood was everywhere and she was in agony.

She carefully removed her shredded jacket, trying not to disturb

the wound. Bracing herself, she pulled out the wood, almost passing

out from the pain. Blood started flowing again, and she regretted

risking the removal. She ripped large pieces of grubby cloth from

her jacket and bound it up as well as she could.

Once finished, Tegan checked the burn on her leg from the Dalek weapon.

It was pretty bad, covering the back of her thigh, right down to just

below her knee. Blistered and bubbled, raw flesh, she had to try and

cover. The rest of her jacked got ripped up to make bandages. She

knew that she was going to have difficulty walking from now on, and

could be in serious danger if she kept losing blood at the rate she

was now.

Tegan pressed her bio chip for a medical report, but nothing happened.

It had broken down too far, the poisons leaking into her body slowly

destroying it.

Nearby, just in her reach, was a large stick of wood. Long enough

to make her a staff to take the weight off of her bad leg. She dragged

it over and tested its strength, it didn't seem rotten or cracked.

So she used it to drag herself up onto her feet. It still didn't break.

Leaving her back pack and useless weapons behind, she looked for

the others. Both of her companions were deeply unconscious. So she

limped outside to check around, make sure they weren't in any danger

of being discovered.

Moments later the Doctor revived groaning. Every inch of his body

hurt. He wished now, that he'd taken the extra few seconds to re-attach

the internal dampeners before travelling. The Dalek pychiology wouldn't

have been harmed by travelling without, but the far more fragile humanoid

body could have been crushed.

He stood, brushing the dust and grime from his clothes, and took

in the surroundings. This warehouse was practically identical to the

first. Except in better condition.

The device for the now closed tunnel was 20 yards away from his position.

The Doctor wrinkled his face in confusion, 20 yards was quite a distance

to be flung. Impossible for it to do done without serious injury.

Yet, he wasn't even bruised from landing on the thick concrete floor.

The impact must also have been fairly strong to have induced an unconcouis

state, for what must have been several hours by the level of light

coming from outside. His body was capable of rapid repair, but even

he couldn't have healed that fast.

As the Doctor glanced down, he noticed the vile of virus nested comfortably

on the ground by his feet. Kneeling, he checked for cracks, leaking

the precious contents. Surprisingly the object was also completely

unharmed.

The groaning of his male companion distracted the Doctor's train

of thought. Turlough was struggling to his feet nearby. A mere 14

yards from totality. Clearly he too was feeling the effects of no

internal dampeners. Tegan was nowhere in sight. Although a pool of

fresh blood was on the floor, 10 yards from the device, and a trail

could be followed from there to the entrance way.

"Try not to move around for a few minutes, while your body readjusts,"

the Doctor warned.

"Where's Tegan?"

"Not here."

The Doctor examined the droplets of blood. It was clearly human,

and fresh enough not to have dried. Tegan must have been hurt, and

then staggered away for some reason. But, what? She wouldn't have

left them alone and vulnerable.


End file.
